


Teacher Appreciation Week

by MacGirl



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Fluff and Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-05 03:41:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14608515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacGirl/pseuds/MacGirl
Summary: Tessa's favorite week of the year? Teacher Appreciation Week is full of food, pampering, and this year - Scott Moir. Tessa teaches AP Psychology and Scott is a visiting Olympian.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this! Especially if I let you down with my last story... I'm still so upset with myself about that detour. 
> 
> I've been seeing all kinds of posts about Teacher Appreciation Week, and I couldn't get this idea out of my head. I hope you enjoy!

Tessa's Diary: May 7, 2018

Teacher Appreciation Week is the best week of the entire school year. Seriously, forget summer vacation, Christmas vacation, spring break, or any other excuse to cancel school. TAW makes every bureaucratic bullshit faculty meeting, conference, lesson plan, and all-night grading session worth it. 

Reason #1: JEANS! Free week to wear jeans and whatever top we want. No mandatory school colors or school affiliated gear… whatever. we. want. You know what else that means? Jeans automatically means we get to wear sneakers! My poor, cramped, bunion feet never feel so wonderful as this glorious week in May.

Reason #2: FOOD! There is food everywhere. PTA, Band boosters, athletics, drama, debate, and every other club at school gets in on the action to fatten us up. Bagels and donuts for breakfast, catered lunches, and mid-afternoon snacks delivered to your classroom. It’s like we’re basically Hansel and Gretel without the oven.

Reason #3: ENTERTAINMENT! Normally, we get some blah, old retired teacher to give us a pep talk. If we’re really lucky, we might get a local radio host, but never a real freaking Canadian superstar! We are being visited by none other than Scott Moir, an Olympic god on ice and the subject of at least one of my most recent fantasies.

______________________________________________

“Ms. Virtue! I thought you were one of the students!”

Cringing a little on the inside, she plasters a large smile across her face, and produces her best fake giggle to the principal. “Dr. Callahan, you know you’re my favorite when you say things like that.” Under normal circumstances, she would roll her eyes while walking away from him. This statement got aggravating during her first year, but it is just so unoriginal now that she is in her sixth year of teaching. However, today is the start of Teacher Appreciation Week and she will gladly take the compliment… nothing will deter her from refreshments and a week of pampering courtesy of the PTA.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and warm bagels filled the front hallway near the teacher’s lounge. Tessa could feel the drool pooling in her mouth with each step that brought her closer to that intoxicating smell. Catching a glance at the hallway clock, she quickly picked up the pace before she had to run back for the first period class. Grabbing the handle, she may have thrown the door open with a little too much force as it quickly swung forward. Tessa heard the gasps from inside the lounge at the same time as she felt the thud of the door against a large obstacle before it was suddenly swinging freely.

Stepping inside the room, her entrance was greeted with the horrified stares of a dozen fellow teachers. Looking down to the left, her stomach churned and dropped at the sight. Tessa’s current celebrity crush, Scott Moir, was laying completely on his stomach in the middle of the teachers’ lounge floor. The Canada shirt he wore repeatedly throughout the last Olympics (she was slightly disappointed it wasn’t the plaid button-down) was thoroughly drenched in coffee. The back of his hair was all askew, which meant the door had definitely hit his head. She has a true brief flash of fear she somehow knocked him unconscious, until she saw that he moved his hands beneath him to push himself up into a sitting position.

Panic thrusted Tessa into action, and she was immediately kneeling beside him in an attempt to help wipe the coffee from his incredibly muscular and toned chest. Her cheeks perfectly matched the red hue of his shirt, and she could hear herself sputtering apologies. Looking down at her hands still slowly rubbing his chest, she couldn’t force them to stop touching him. Surprisingly, he was laughing (how hard did she hit his head?!) and lightly grabbed her wrist to stop her frantic wiping of his torso. His grip slipped from her wrist to her hand, and she was certain he could feel her accelerated pulse beneath his fingers. He ducked his head to try and meet her lowered, embarrassed gaze. “That’ll do. No worries, eh?”

If it was possible for cheeks to spontaneously combust from embarrassment, Tessa could host the school’s next bon fire on her face. “I’m Scott,” he was still holding her hand and staring so intently into her eyes her cheeks would have reddened regardless from his super intense attention. She was completely speechless. His eyebrows lifted and she could swear he was trying to have a conversation with her with only his eyes, but she couldn’t shake this temporary paralysis that overcame her. 

“Tessa Virtue. Teacher.” He read her identification badge outlaid as he lifted it from her chest. His smile was even more radiant in person, it was the kind that lit up and covered a person’s entire face. He moved in closer (definitely invading her personal space, but she didn’t even care), “You know, you didn’t have to give me a concussion or bathe me in coffee for an introduction.” His hazel eyes were sparkling with confidence and satisfaction in his own sense of humor and her discomfort. 

The devilish smirk of Scott’s grin and the slightly improper contact was enough to make her want to turn in her resignation and drag him from the building back to her bed. Regaining her composure, Tessa made one final pat of his chest and had to break their physical contact. Tessa gave him her most brilliant smile (the one that ensures she drinks for free at the pub for the “faculty meeting’ her inner circle of teachers have once a month to decompress) and her eyes were teasing, “You should know better than to stand in the way of a teacher’s coffee this early in the morning.”

“Duly noted, Ms. Virtue.” She probably hears her name a thousand times a day, but on the lips of Scott Moir, it sounded salacious and brought some fresh heat to her cheeks. The bell announcing the beginning of the school day pierced their flirtatious banter, and elicited a groan from the colleagues still lingering in the lounge trying to watch the interaction between them. Eyes instinctively darting to the clock, Tessa knows she has 5 minutes to fix her coffee and make the walk back to her classroom. No more time for pleasantries, she throws an extra swing in her hips as she makes her way to the coffee station set up especially for TAW. She throws him another brilliant smile as she hurries out the door to beat her students to class.

 

This particular first period class was one of Tessa’s favorite group of students since she started teaching. She was officially over the first-year-teacher stress, and she felt that she was finally proficient in pedagogy and content. She had built a reputation among the faculty and students as one of the best teachers in the school, not only for her unparalleled preparation, but also for the warmth and regard she had for her students. She had a waiting list of students trying to get into her AP Psychology classes, and she had the distinct advantage of being able to select her students. She was truly happy and fulfilled everyday she walked into her classroom.

However, today Tessa Virtue practically glided into the classroom. Her mind was frantically recreating and replaying every moment of her very close encounter with Scott Moir. She couldn’t wait to call her sister and mother to let them know that she met the gold medalist all of Canada was fluttering over. Absentmindedly humming and smiling to herself, as she glanced over the students to enter her morning attendance, she heard a throat clearing at the door to her classroom. Looking up, she was greeted with the flustered gaze of Dr. Callahan and Scott’s amused smirk she had already committed to memory.

“Ms. Virtue, may I have a word with you?” Dr. Callahan motioned for her to meet them outside the classroom. Turning to instruct the class on their daily practice question, she assured her students she would be back momentarily. Her pulse was racing, and she approached the door with apprehension. Did she misread this situation? Maybe Scott was pissed and lodged a complaint about her assaulting him with the door? Maybe he was appalled by her forward and lustful touching? 

Closing the door behind her, Tessa nervously licked her lips and sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. She was definitely not misreading Scott’s stare and the sudden rise of his chest that made him seem an inch or two taller. She could relax and a smile began to form on her lips, he was definitely not filing a complaint. 

“Ms. Virtue, I heard you’ve already been introduced to Mr. Scott Moir.” Dr. Callahan sighed heavily. Yup, he had definitely heard about her collision. “Mr. Moir is visiting the school today, and suggested that he have the chance to observe some classes before the assembly. He said that he was fascinated by psychology, and would love the opportunity to sit in on your class.” Dr. Callahan was not asking her permission, just informing her that she would have a visitor. Dr. Callahan issued some vague pleasantries to Scott, and then left the two of them alone still outside the closed door of her classroom.

“You know, you didn’t have to fake an interest in psychology or get my boss involved to see me again.” She wasn’t sure where this new coquettish bravado was coming from, but she seized the opportunity to reach out and grasp his forearm. “You could just take me to dinner like a normal person.”

Before Scott had the chance to respond or to make dinner arrangements, she was opening the door. Thirty pairs of teenage eyes were fixed on him. Tessa was walking backwards into the classroom with a wide smile across her face as she brought him into her realm, “Welcome, Mr. Moir, to AP Psych.”


	2. Masters and Johnson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scott learns a little psychology.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had some major flashbacks to my AP Psych class while I wrote this. I made sure to look up the Masters and Johnson study to get the stages right, and review Sternberg's theory about love.
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting. There will be more chapters! :)

Scott’s Schedule: May 7, 2018

5:00 AM - Breakfast  
5:30 AM - Gym   
7:30 AM - high school  
NOON - lunch  
1:00 PM - radio interview  
3:00 PM - practice  
7:00 PM - dinner with friends  
9:00 PM - podcast interview

 

 

Walking through the hallways of the local high school, Scott was a little unnerved by the quiet stillness that hung in the air, as if the building was holding its breath waiting for the arrival of the faculty and students. The white, sterile walls were punctuated with colorful posters informing students of their post-graduation options or reminders to buy yearbooks. Looking through the window of the nearest vacant classroom, he wasn’t really surprised to see that the classrooms were similar to the same rooms he briefly sat in so many years ago. 

He had walked through numerous school buildings across Canada, but he usually avoided high schools and focused on speaking to students in elementary schools. Originally, the joke was to avoid any embarrassing situations with the female students, (after he won his first gold medal at the age of 22) but it was really out of self-consciousness. He didn’t feel he could connect with the teenage students. He only attended a traditional high school for one year, before he decided along with his coaches that classes only interfered with training. After his disappointing and unproductive freshman year on and off the ice, Scott realized he couldn’t balance both. He knew he had to make a choice, so he earned his high school diploma with a tutor and online courses in order to dedicate all of his time to train. 

Scott’s management team along with the media played up his “jock” persona in an attempt to make his figure skating more masculine. However, Scott actually loved school and thoroughly enjoyed learning. Many of his closest friends didn’t even realize what a voracious reader (nonfiction - he wanted to learn something while he read) he was, and he was more intellectually inclined than his partner, Kaitlyn, but that didn’t fit the media narrative pushed by their coaches and managers. 

The red illuminated numbers of the hallway clock flashed “6:45” and he knew he was early. His nervousness created a less than successful gym session, and he decided to forfeit the rest of his time to prepare for the grueling couple of hours he agreed to speak at the high school. He was on a fairly tight schedule for today and the rest of the week. He only had the next five days to unwind before he left for a two month tour, but his cousin had made sure to include at least one community stop or event each day.

The echo of footsteps hurrying towards him drew Scott’s attention to the older man frantically approaching him down the hallway. “Mr. Moir! I didn’t know you were already here.” The man’s voice was coming out in little puffs as he was exerting all of his energy towards reaching Scott as quickly as possible. 

“Dr. Callahan?” The man responded with a nod, and finally an extended hand. “Good morning, this is a beautiful campus you have here. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak with the student body.” Scott had spent the last twenty years in training on and off the ice. He was more outspoken and less filtered than Kaitlyn, but he definitely knew how to communicate with others. He could hear the artificial undercurrent in his voice, and he hoped it would become more genuine when he was in front of the students.

“Mr. Moir! We are just delighted to have you on campus! This is such a huge honor, and made my faculty thrilled even more than the kids. We are just so proud of you.” Dr. Callahan started to say the exact same thing that everyone has said over the past couple of months since the Olympics. Scott wished that he could say he was desensitized towards the well wishes and the gushing of the public, but he thought he would never stop getting choked up and emotional from his interactions with fans. He gave the principal a strong handshake that pulled him in for a hug.

They began a quick tour of the school that Scott knew he would never remember. He would ask occasional questions about classes, resources, and the student body to show that he was engaged and paying attention (he would never be blatantly rude). However, this wasn’t a priority for Scott and he wasn’t going to devote any additional mental resources towards this little tour or the school in general.

The halls were starting to fill up with students eager to take his picture and post it to social media, and he was beginning to feel even more out of place. He gave small nods or smiles for students as he passed through the hallway, and he was relieved to find himself ushered into the privacy of the teachers’ lounge. 

He appreciated the festive decor to celebrate teachers. Apparently, it is Teacher Appreciation Week, and he is flabbergasted. They are having a freaking party! Coffee, pastries, and music filled the work space. He didn’t even realize there was a week to appreciate teachers… was this a thing when he was in school? He certainly didn’t remember and definitely couldn’t picture his old science teacher, Mr. Renfroe, lip syncing in the lounge with another teacher, like the two middle-aged basses in front of him. There were over a dozen teachers gathered around a coffee and bagel station while another dozen were singing along with the epic lip sync battle that was going down. 

He smiled and joined in the crowd to cheer on the two teachers when they stopped in mid lyric. Mouths were agape and their eyes were full of embarrassment. They spontaneously burst into applause directed at him, and he could feel the flush spreading across his neck. Smiling with gratitude for the recognition, “I should be applauding you! That was amazing, and it is Teacher Appreciation Week… all of you deserve so much more. Thank you for all that you do.” Scott turned in a circle with raised hands applauding all of the teachers. The teachers responded with a roar of approval, and at this moment Scott jokingly realized he could be the next prime minister if he was so inclined. 

Dr. Callahan was called away for a fighting situation, and Scott was left alone to wander the lounge. He began striking up brief conversations with as many of the teachers as possible. He didn’t want anyone to leave without having a moment. He was engrossed in his discussion with a science teacher about the importance of recycling when he was suddenly knocked with a very heavy metal door.

Under normal circumstances, Scott probably wouldn’t have fallen straight out completely on the floor. However, he was holding hot coffee and standing in front of a couple of middle age teachers. Instinctually he attempted to avoid throwing his coffee onto them and twisted his body away from them. This was actually what caused him to completely lose his footing and fall to the ground… on top of his coffee cup. 

Almost immediately he felt tiny hands on his body, like a fairy or elf was trying to help him. He looked up to see one of the most attractive women he had seen in a long time. She checked all of the boxes of Scott’s type… porcelain skin, green eyes, dark hair. Her hands were moving all over his chest, pushing the drenched shirt even more against his skin. She was apologizing and turning various shades of red as she kept trying gliding her hands across his chest. Her eyes were fixed on his chest and he couldn’t stop staring at her crimson lips or the curve of her neck. Scott knew he had to make her stop touching him or he was going to get hard, right here in front of a roomful of teachers. 

Grabbing her wrist and then her hand, he was able to stop the caresses of his chest. She was freaking adorable as she squirmed in her embarrassment and he could feel the fluttering of her pulse beneath his fingers. “Tessa Virtue. Teacher.” he reached out to lift her identification badge from her chest (a little more intimate than he would’ve normally done, but she’s been manhandling his chest for a minute now… it’s fair). “You know, you didn’t have to give me a concussion or bathe me in coffee for an introduction.” He always tried to defuse uncomfortable situations with humor, and he was definitely amused right now.

That seemed to work and pull her from whatever spell she was under. Her face lit up into this amazing, beautiful smile, and he felt a pang in his stomach when she giggled. This smile, this woman, made him want to cancel the rest of his afternoon and retreat to his bed. “You should know better than to stand in the way of a teacher’s coffee this early in the morning.” Scott immediately gave a quick thanks to the heavens that she was quick witted and funny… she would definitely not be boring. 

“Duly noted, Ms. Virtue.” A different heat was starting to fill her cheeks, and Scott almost forgot they were in front of a dozen others and at the start of a school day. He could almost pretend this was a mishap at Starbucks, and they could spend the next hour getting to know one another. However, the morning bell deflated that fantasy and she was jumping up to get her coffee. Her hips swayed with an enticing rhythm, and she flashed him a brilliant smile before exiting the lounge.

He needed to find that principal.

Convincing Dr. Callahan to let him sit in on Tessa’s class was surprising easily. He quickly changed into a school t-shirt that was a size smaller than he usually preferred, but his skin was still sticky from the earlier coffee. Dr. Callahan was retreating, and finally Scott was alone with the slightly destructive angel from earlier “You know, you didn’t have to fake an interest in psychology or get my boss involved to see me again.” Her eyes were twinkling, and her fingers were grasping his forearm. “You could just take me to dinner like a normal person.”

Scott opened his mouth to demand dinner with her tonight, but she was already opening the door to her classroom. Thirty pairs of teenage eyes were fixed on him. Shit… he forgot there would actually be kids in here. Tessa was walking backwards into the classroom with a wide smile across her face as she brought him into her realm, “Welcome, Mr. Moir, to AP Psych.”

Stepping into the classroom, Scott suddenly felt like an awkward fifteen year old stuck in an American school as the “new kid.” The students were looking at him with various expressions that ranged from “OMG!” to “Fuck off.” He saw that there was an empty desk in the back of the classroom, and he made his way to watch Tessa in action.

She was a freaking queen in this classroom, and her students were her eager subjects. She was dividing the class into study groups. Apparently, they had a big exam soon and they were not really interested in the company of a world-famous Olympian. As the students began working, Tessa motioned for him to join her at the front of the room. “Today is the last day of review before they take their AP exam. I’m going to be wandering the groups and answering various questions. Why don’t you sit at my desk?” He was impressed with her professionalism and the meticulous desk she showed him.

He was able to sit back and watch her move. She had to be a dancer - the graceful way she navigated around the desks, he could imagine moving with her on a dance floor or maybe even on ice. He was also impressed with her rapport with the kids - it was obvious they adored and respected her. 

One of the girls was staring at Scott, and not paying any attention to her fellow study partners. She raised her hand to get Tessa’s attention. “Ms. V, what’s the most important component of attraction?” 

Tessa was on the other side of the room, but looked up to see the student asking the question while ogling Scott. She repressed her laughter at the girl’s obvious crush, “Proximity… can’t be attracted to someone you never meet.” Her eyes moved over to Scott, and he swallowed. He can’t argue with that assessment, and he silently sent a prayer of thanks for being doused in coffee earlier. 

Another student, “Ms. Virtue, what about the different types of love?” Scott looked over at the girl who asked this question, and saw a knowing smirk on her face as she looked between her teacher and him. 

“The most important thing to remember are the components of love: passion, intimacy, and commitment. Those elements can combine into different types of love. What everyone should be looking for is consummate love that fully combines all three elements.” He knew she was just quoting some textbook or psychologist, but her words softened something inside of him. He had been so dedicated for the past two years in his pursuit of another gold medal that he had completely cut off any romantic notions. Not to sound mushy or trite, but Scott realized that he missed being in love and in a relationship and he was ready to open to that possibility now that the Olympics were over. 

The class was primarily girls, but there was one group of four male students and they were snickering as they raised their hands to gain Tessa’s attention. “Ms. V? Could you go over Masters and Johnson again?”

She lifted an eyebrow at the boys as she moved over towards them. Another student was incredulous they couldn’t remember the famous study and results. “Do you want a recap of their actual research methods or just the stages?” She had taught this several years, and she always found that if she didn’t show embarrassment they would quickly mature and respond appropriately. However, she didn’t usually have Scott Moir sitting at her desk and watching her every movement.

“Quick review of Masters and Johnson!” She got the attention of the other students. “What did they study?” In unison the students shouted back, “Sex!” She was ready to launch into the study, but there was a loud sputtering noise followed by coughing. The classes attention was fixed on Scott as he choked on his coffee. She started walking towards him, but he motioned he was okay and to continue. “Okay… Jake, first stage?”

“Excitement, the blood is flowing…” the teenager was blushing as he looked over at Scott’s obvious discomfort. Tessa took over for him, “Excellent! Remember, excitement is exactly what it sounds like. Marcia, stage two?”

Marcia was more comfortable and mature, “Blood pressure and physical arousal continues to build to get you ready for the next stage…” her voice trailed off to make sure it was acceptable to continue. Tessa could see Scott squirming uncomfortably in his seat, and nodded for Marcia to continue. “Orgasm.”

Scott could feel the flush across his cheeks, and he was glad that he was sitting behind her desk so that he could hide somewhat behind her computer screen. He was staring at her with an incredulous expression, is she allowed to talk about this with teenagers?!

Tessa was zeroing in on the male students who were attempting to embarrass her in front of Scott. “Ryan, what happens during an orgasm?” Scott chuckled softly to himself as he watched the boy’s falter as he realized the table’s were turned on him. The boy hesitated and started to stumble when one of his friends loudly teased that he wouldn’t know. He was impressed with how quickly Tessa shot that down, and took over. “Remember the orgasm is the climax for both women and men. Male orgasm is associated with ejaculation, but women have more varied responses. However, the actual sensations are very similar for both.” She turned her head to make eye contact with Scott, and he felt himself start to enter that first stage she mentioned.

“Final stage, Sara?” Tessa directed her attention to one of the girls in the back of the classroom. “Resolution, and a return to normal blood pressure.” 

Tessa was nodding her head at the girl and moving her body to address the entire class. “Remember, this stage is the most different between men and women.” Her eyes briefly connected with Scott’s as her gaze swept the classroom. “Men enter the refractory period and cannot orgasm again.” In what seemed like a long-running joke, one of the boys mumbled loud enough for the entire class to hear, “Not even for J. Lo!” Tessa rolled her eyes, but nodded her head. “Not even for J. Lo, but women have the gift of,” before she can finish the girls all shout, “multiple orgasms” and give a brief cheer. 

Whatever excitement Scott could have felt, was immediately extinguished with the cheers of teenage girls for multiple orgasms. His prayers were answered as the bell rang to signal for the students to leave. He watched the kids file out of the room, while a few lingered to ask a couple of questions. After the last student left, he stood up from her desk ready to exit (he couldn’t handle another sex discussion when he hadn’t personally had sex in nearly a year). However, she shut the door and turned to him. She extended her lower lip and looked up at him beneath her eyelashes, “Awww… you have to leave already? Second period is my planning.”


	3. Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best laid plans for a dinner date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been fun to write, and I hope all of you enjoy reading it! As of now, I'm planning on covering the entire Teacher Appreciation Week.

Half way through her review of the sexual response cycle, Tessa took back every nice thing she had ever said about first period. She was going to murder each of the buttheads for bringing up the most awkward topics in the class in front of Scott-freaking-Moir. She made eye contact with him a few times, but she kept a steady view of him in her periphery. The man looked absolutely miserable, and she could feel whatever hopes she had of dinner evaporating every time the kids yelled “orgasm.”

Fortunately, the bell would be ringing soon and she had second period planning. She was hoping that she could distract him long enough to make him forget the last few minutes of her review, before he was whisked away to the school assembly or observing other classes. She shut the door behind the last student, and was disappointed to see that he was already up and moving towards the door. She gave him an exaggerated pout, “Awww… you have to leave already? Second period is my planning period.” 

Why the hell did she say that?! Why the hell is she pouting like a little girl?! This is so not HER. She isn’t one of those girls that plays games or makes duck lips or whatever other stupid thing that people are doing. Shaking her head, she gave him a genuine smile. “Seriously, I’m review-free for the next 55 minutes if you’d like to stick around.”

He returned the smile and settled back into her chair. He propped his feet onto her desk and put his arms behind his head, and the too snug t-shirt strained across his chest and biceps. “There’s nowhere I need to be.” They both knew this wasn’t true, but Tessa wasn’t about to correct him on his schedule. 

She looked at his feet on her desk, and cocked an eyebrow. “Comfy?” She moved to one of the student desks in the first row closest to hers. Her mind was racing for things to say. How do you follow a discussion about orgasms? She decided to quote her mother’s daily question when she would walk into the door, “So… what did you learn at school today?” 

He laughed and brought his feet down to the ground. He placed his elbows on her desk, and leaned forward. “I learned that I should have taken AP Psychology when I was in high school.”

Tessa laughed so hard her head automatically leaned back, and she could feel her sides cramping. He looked so smug at how easily he could make her laugh, and they started swapping stories about their childhood and current lives. If this was Starbucks or a pub, this would definitely count as a first date… an excellent first date.

They were so engrossed in their conversation, both lost track of time until they were interrupted by the jarring static of the overhead speaker. “Ms. Virtue?”

“Yes?” She normally doesn’t get calls from the front office unless it is to send a student up… and there were no students here.

“Is Mr. Moir still in your room?” Scott’s face squished into an exaggerated expression and he mouthed, “busted!”

“Uh… yes.” She knew they couldn’t see her, but she was still sheepish and shrugging her shoulders in an apology.

“Would you mind escorting him to the auditorium to join the REST OF THE SCHOOL for the assembly?”

“Yes, sir! On the way!” She was already on her feet and running to the door, not waiting for Scott behind her. The speaker suddenly went silent and she was able to shriek, “Oh my god!” before she dissolved into giggles. “Hurry!” She motioned for Scott to follow her, but he did not have the same sense of urgency. 

“Obviously, they have to wait on us. Besides, I think you were about to tell me what time I’m picking you up for dinner.” He paused at the door, and she was tempted to leave him there, but he had no clue how to get to the auditorium.

She tilted her head to one side, pretended to contemplate the proposition. “Tell you what… you can meet me at 7 at my favorite restaurant, Foxy, if I don’t get fired… let’s move it, Moir!”

She was rewarded with the same ecstatic facial expression and fist pump that he did when he won the gold medal. He took off running down the hall, wishing he remembered where Dr. Callahan had pointed out the auditorium a few hours earlier. She watched him running away from her in the opposite direction of the auditorium, and laughed as she realized she was going to have to retrieve the lost Olympian. “Wrong way! If you want dinner, you better catch me!” She lifted her eyebrows, and began to run in the correct direction towards the auditorium. 

They both arrived slightly out of breath, and Tessa had a sudden revelation that fact would not look very good. She grabbed his shoulder and shook her head before he could enter the doors that would lead to the stage. Catching her breath, she answered his questioning gaze, “We can’t go in like this… just breathe with me.” They both caught a glimpse of their reflection in the glass of the display case, and winced at the flushed cheeks and rapidly rising chests. 

“Thanks, good idea.” He motioned towards the water fountain, and took several long gulps while Tessa admired him as he bent over the fountain. She made a mental note to make sure to tell her friends that his ass looked even more spectacular in person only a few feet away. A new wave of excitement rushed over her as she realized that she was going to dinner with him tonight, and would be even closer to that ass in a few hours.

After a minute, she motioned for him to enter the doors and she walked around to enter the back of the auditorium. Her heart was racing as she watched him walk out onto the stage, and raised his hands to acknowledge the cheers from the students. She joined her small clique of teacher friends standing in the back of the auditorium, and ignored their sly smiles and elbow pokes as they tried to grill her over Scott’s observation of her class. Her friend Sally whispered, “Is it true? Marcia told me the guys asked about orgasms in front of Scott Moir? Was he as uncomfortable as she said he was?”

Tessa giggled and nodded, “Probably worse.” She couldn’t take her eyes off of Scott. He commanded the room with his confidence, and his sense of humor bordered between dad jokes and teenage immaturity with a little cerebral wit thrown in. She began to fiddle with her necklace, and she sighed as she leaned towards Sally. “I think we have a date tonight.”

Wrong thing to say. Sally immediately shrieked and a thousand kids turned to look at the commotion. She could see Scott lifting his eyebrows in amusement at her as he continued his speech. Tessa glared at her, but Sally was undeterred and hissed in her ear, “Shut the fuck up!” Tessa smacked her friend’s shoulder and put her finger to her lips. Sally grinned, “Ohhhh… Tessa… you’re a smitten kitten.” 

Glaring again at her friend, Tessa relented and gave her a grin. “Meet me at my place after school. You can help me figure out what to wear. Now shut up, my future husband deserves your respect.” They had to stifle their giggles and mouthed “sorry” to Dr. Callahan as he shook his head at the two of them.

Scott made a quick detour by Tessa’s room before he was shuffled out of the building to make his next stop. Knocking on the door, the class gasped as they realized Scott Moir was asking to speak to their teacher. She gave the kids her best teacher look, and closed the door behind her. Scott grabbed her hand as soon as the door shut, “Hey… Just making sure you weren’t fired.” His grin changed to something a little darker and a little more intimate as his voice dropped to remind her, “7:00 tonight… Foxy.” She nodded her head and felt her tongue move on its own accord to lick her lips. She saw him swallow and blink his eyes briefly (he was definitely in the excitement phase), “Can I get your phone number?” 

Tessa opened her mouth to comply, but thought better of it. “Let’s see how dinner goes first.” Her bottom lip was between her teeth, and she was having a difficult time holding back her smile when Scott groaned in displeasure. “See you tonight.” She flipped her hair as entered her classroom, and watched Scott hang his head for a moment before leaving the building.

 

 

Sally was flipping through hangers in Tessa’s walk-in closet. “You’ve got to wear a dress, Tess! All that pilates deserves to be displayed.” She quickly pulled out her three favorite options for Tessa’s approval.

“First, you seriously need some color in your closet. Are you a widow from the 19th century or something? Sweetie, I’ve never seen so much black in a closet… are you secretly a goth, emo, Cure fanatic?” She motioned behind her at an entire rack of various black clothing items, “It’s seriously like 50 shades of black in here.”

Tessa responded by sticking out her tongue, and continued to apply her eye makeup. Hair was wound in rollers, makeup was almost finished, but she was still torn about what to wear. “You really think a dress isn’t too much?” She didn’t want to come across too prepared, especially if he showed up in a t-shirt and jeans, but she didn’t want to come too casual and look like she didn’t care… this stress is one of the reasons she hand’t been out on a real date in months.

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t even say that… okay, first option is this black, lacy cocktail dress.” Sally was holding up one of Tessa’s favorite dresses, but it screamed a little too sophisticated and a little too much for a first date. Tessa wrinkled her nose and shook her head in the mirror.

“I thought you might have that reaction, so we have option number two.” Sally held up another black cocktail dress, but the looser skirt and lack of lace made it a more casual option than the first. Tessa looked skeptical, but Sally held her hand up to pause the critique. “Paired with a jean jacket, I think it is the perfect blend of cool and sophisticated. You’re dressy, but still keeping it cas.”

“Did you just say ‘keeping it cas’ - because if you did, I need to get a replacement helper… I can no longer trust you or your opinions.” Tessa was laughing as she threw one of her makeup brushes at her friend. “What’s the last option?”

“Third option, smart ass, is this lovely ensemble.” Tessa made an “awww” face as she saw her friend holding up a bright green top paired with black skinny pants. “They will make your eyes pop, but I still think you should go with the dress.”

 

Tessa has always been a punctual person. It was instilled from an early age that being late showed a lack of respect and disregard for the other person. It had been a dealbreaker in more than one relationship, and she was going to give Scott Moir exactly five more minutes before she left the restaurant. He was twenty minutes late, and at this point she didn’t care how many medals he had or the way her heart fluttered when he held her hand this afternoon. Glancing at the clock on her phone, he had four minutes and he better have one hell of excuse. 

Four minutes later, Tessa paid her tab at the bar and grabbed her purse to leave the restaurant. She had to check her anger to keep from being rude to the bartender, and left him a larger tip than she would normally as an apology. She stopped by the host to remove her name from the sitting list, and made her way outside. Standing in front of the restaurant, she was checking to see Uber options when she had a sickening realization. He wasn’t just late, he stood her up.

 

_______________________

 

Rearranging the schedule of a former Olympian was easier said than done. Canceling dinner with friends was easy, but moving the podcast interview up to three and negotiating a shorter practice was more difficult than peace talks. Kaitlyn was insisting on the original practice schedule until finally Scott exploded, “I have a date! My first REAL date in a year, K. We either practice for an hour or we don’t practice at all.”

She stepped back in surprise at the outburst. They had been partners for decades and after years of therapy, they never raised their voices or fought with one another. She tried to channel their therapist, and really listen to what he was saying. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize how important this is to you. We can reschedule practice for tomorrow.” She closed the space between them and hugged his reluctant and still stiff body. Punching him lightly on the shoulder, she grinned at him, “A date? Why didn’t you say something earlier! Let’s go get you ready.” 

Kaitlyn was standing in his closet, and was unimpressed with what she saw. “Scott… you know for someone who owns so many t-shirts why do you always wear the same TWO?!” She came out tossing a couple of Canada shirts out at him. “Where did you say you were meeting her? Foxy?”  
Scott finished putting some product in his hair, and reapplied his deodorant. He was freshly shaved, and watching hockey updates on television. All he needed was an outfit, and Kaitlyn was not proving to be as helpful as she proclaimed. “Yeah… I’m supposed to meet her around 7.”

Kaitlyn emerged with a pair of slacks and one of his dress shirts. “I think this works. You can’t show up in a suit, but she’s probably going to wear a cocktail dress so you can’t just show up in jeans.” 

She tossed a couple of different shirts towards him, and he groaned. “This is worse than going costume fitting with you! Just pick a damn shirt, woman!”

Kaitlyn finally made her choice, “I think you should go with the black shirt and the grey slacks.” 

Scott closed his eyes and rubbed his face, “That’s the same outfit you showed me thirty minutes ago. This is why I wasn’t going to tell you… I knew you’d make into a thing.” 

He was buttoning the last button on his shirt, and looking for his belt when Kaitlyn busted into his bedroom. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry… You’ve got to go. You’re late!”

Looking at her in confusion, he looked back at the television screen with the running time in the corner. “No, it’s only 6:15 and it only take me fifteen minutes, twenty tops, to get to the restaurant. It’s all good.” He continued to look for his belt at a leisurely place.

Kaitlyn ran to the television and grabbed the remote. “No! I paused the channel earlier and went back to another segment… look!” She hit the live tv button and the current time of 7:15 flashed on the screen. “I’m so sorry!”

“Fuck… Kaitlyn, you’re dead to me.” He shouted over his shoulder as he went rushing out of his condo. He was cursing Kaitlyn, himself, and Tessa for not giving him her number. He was trying to call the restaurant to get a message to him, but he was instantly placed on hold. He made the fifteen minute drive in less than ten, and was expecting to be greeted by a police officer as he pulled up after all the broken traffic laws along the way. 

Racing inside the restaurant, he was swarmed by eager fans and starstruck staff. At first he smiled politely, but he couldn’t find Tessa and he was having difficulty trying to get anyone to listen to him until he finally bellowed, “I’m looking for a woman!” 

The restaurant responded with a moment of silence except for the clattering of dishes, and then there was an eruption and a cascade of female bodies thrusted towards him. Motioning for the rabid fans to wait a minute, he made his way to the bar and asked the bartender if he had seen Tessa. The bartender smiled and nodded at his description of her, and his heart sank when he told him she had left a few minutes earlier. 

Scott Moir had rarely tasted defeat in his life, and this moment was the kind of experience that propelled him towards extra practices in his youth or longer training sessions now that he is older. Swallowing back his disappointment and regret, he put on his best smile to greet the fans that were standing only a few feet away.

 

Thirty minutes later, Scott had taken pictures and signed autographs for what felt like half of Montreal. He sat down at the bar, and ordered a beer. The bar area was quieting down but still full, and Scott looked pointlessly at his phone. His shoulder sagged, and he kicked himself for not insisting on getting her number earlier at school. He began to text Kaitlyn exactly how he was going to murder her, but first he was going to drag her ass to publicly apologize to Tessa tomorrow morning during her awkward as fuck first period class. The bartender interrupted his epic text, “Hey, your girl is back.” Scott nearly fell off the barstool as he turned to follow the gaze of the bartender. 

Tessa was motioning to the hostess, and nodding along as she listened. His breath caught as his gaze traveled across her, and he was able to appreciate her beauty in even greater detail. She was attractive under the unforgiving florescent lights of the public school, and dressed in jeans and a casual top. Right now? She was stunning in a black cocktail dress that showed off that he was correct in his assessment of her… she had to be a dancer with that body. She was tiny, but fierce with well defined arms and legs. She hadn’t seen him yet, but she was making her way towards the bar. Her hair had loose waves that bounced as she walked, and as she neared the bar he was intoxicated by her scent. 

He could feel the “excitement stage” taking hold of his lower half, and he shifted in his seat to adjust the discomfort. That was enough movement to garner her attention, and she looked shocked and then pissed to see him. She nodded in acknowledgement, and he could tell that she was having an inner debate whether she should approach him or not. She straightened her shoulders even more, and walked towards him with a tight expression.

“Good evening, Mr. Moir. I’m just here to pick up my jacket that I left EARLIER.” Her eyes effectively slapped him across the cheek. She leaned over the bar to speak to the bartender, and Scott could appreciate all of the subtle muscles across her exposed back. The bartender grabbed her jacket from behind the bar, and Tessa flashed him a grateful smile. It instantly disappeared as she looked at Scott. She nodded, and turned to leave.

“Fuck…” He muttered as he threw several bills onto the bar that more than covered his drink. He called out for her to wait, but she wasn’t slowing down to give him a chance to catch up. “Tessa, wait!” She continued to move forward without glancing back, her heels clicking as she pushed through the still crowded lobby. Panicking, he yelled out across the room, “Tessa, I love you!”

For the second time that evening, Scott Moir silenced Foxy. The lobby parted as if it were the Red Sea, and Tessa was stopped in her tracks. She slowly turned towards him, and she was looking at him as if he was crazy. “WHAT?!”

That gave him the time he needed to close the gap between them, and he grasped her elbow and led her from the restaurant. She was too stunned to say anything else, and she followed him out of the restaurant. Standing outside for the second time in front of the restaurant, Tessa stared at Scott in concern and fear. He knew he only had a few seconds to convince her he wasn’t a psychotic sociopath. “I’m sorry. I panicked, and I just had to say something to make you stop leaving, and you said there were all these types of love this morning…” His hands ran down the length of her arm to grasp her hands.

She took a deep breath and released it slowly, “Scott… this is just too much. Tonight was a sign.” She started laughing and she nodded towards the Uber car that was waiting for her at the curb. “Glad I didn’t give you my number.” She squeezed his hands before dropping them, and began walking towards the car.

“Wait! Don’t get in that car. There is a great coffee shop near here.” He reached back for her hand, and gently pulled her towards him. She was hesitant, and still looking at him with skepticism. He gave her his best pitiful, puppy dog eyes that always worked on all the women in his life. 

She rolled her eyes at him, “I’m a teacher, you idiot. That shit doesn’t work on me.” She stared at him for a minute, and then turned away towards the Uber car. He kicked at a pebble that was near his shoe, and he almost missed her turning the car away. Looking back at him, she crossed her arms across her chest, and he knew that she was still rightfully pissed. “This great coffee shop better have some food too. I haven't eaten yet, and I'm starving.”

He rushed towards her and grabbed her in a hug that lifted her nearly a foot off the ground, and Tessa couldn’t contain her surprised squeal. “Even better. It has pastries and chocolate.” Spinning her around before placing her back on the ground, Scott clutched her fingers between his as he directed her towards his favorite coffee shop.


	4. Crepes and Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-date conversation with friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the encouraging words and for reading! I hope you're able to continue enjoying the story.
> 
> I've got an overall idea for the story, but I'm really bad about planning and tend to just write... so if you're frustrated or find inconsistencies. Let me know, and I promise I'm working on it. :)

“This is me.” Three hours later, Tessa is nodding to the building behind her. Two and a half hours earlier, they closed the coffee shop down, and Scott insisted on walking her home. It was a clear and warmish evening, and she wore her comfy heels so she didn’t mind taking the scenic route back to her place. Especially, when it meant he held her hand and broke out impromptu dance moves as they passed live music wafting out into the street from different venues.

The ending was always the most awkward part of a date, particularly since Tessa had a strict no-kissing-on-the-first-date rule. It generally proved to be an efficient and successful litmus test to see if a guy deserved a second date. Scott had recovered splendidly after a rocky and late start, and for the first time in a long time she wasn’t looking forward to the evening ending. Maybe she could bend the kissing rule this ONE time, he is the most decorated figure skater in Olympic history after all. AND earlier this morning, she jokingly thought it was an excellent first date… all they were missing was the ambience. Technically, that meant they were currently on date number two.

Scott nodded with her, and placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her up the stairs towards the lobby area of her condo. She may not have controlled the shiver that ran through her when she felt his hand on her back, but she did keep the sigh of her sexual frustration firmly contained. Her mind frantically raced to rationalize why it would be perfectly acceptable and within her dating code to jump him as soon as they were alone in the elevator. He opened the large glass door to her building, and continued to follow her to the elevator. She normally didn’t allow men to know where she lived until several dates had passed, but this was Scott Moir and her defenses were definitely weakened after the assorted chocolates, stimulating conversation, and the warmth of his fingers pressed into her hip earlier.

They were silent, but she couldn’t really tell with absolute certainty if it was because they were actually anxious or completely comfortable with one another at this point in the evening. His hand had resumed its position on the small of her back, and she had settled into his side as if that space was specifically designed and created for her. The warmth and safety she felt solidified it for her - she was more completely comfortable with this man she had known for less than 24 hours than her last serious boyfriend of over a year.

The elevator jolted them closer together as it came to a stop at her floor. Pushing herself forward, Tessa led Scott down the corridor towards her condo at the back of the building. Once at her door, she turned to face Scott for the first time since they were sitting across the table in the deserted coffee shop. Her hand traveled over the arm that controlled the hand still attached to her back. “I’d invite you inside, but it’s a school night…” Her voice trailed off, and the obvious disappointment in her voice surprised herself. She was not playing this cool at all.

Scott closed his eyes and groaned. “Ugh… you’re right. It’s an early day for both of us.” He made no attempt at leaving, and she made no attempt at entering her condo. Finally, he wrapped his other arm around her waist, and pulled her in for a not-so-platonic hug. Her arms moved around him while she breathed in the subtle hint of his cologne. It was intoxicating, and made her wish she could call in a substitute for tomorrow. She could hear and feel him breathing in the fragrance of her hair, and heard a low hum of appreciation in his chest as his hold tightened on her and brought her fully against him.

“I really want to kiss you.” His voice was muffled in the space between her neck and shoulder, and she knew he could feel the constriction of her throat as she swallowed… and she suddenly understood what her students meant when they referred to being “thirsty.” He pulled his head back to look at her, and his hands were now framing her face. His hazel eyes were so dark she couldn’t distinguish his pupils, and she licked her lips in anticipation as she mentally ripped the antiquated kissing rule to shreds.

“What time can I see you tomorrow?” His forehead was pressed to hers, and his voice had a sense of urgency that made her want to skip all the irrelevant responsibilities of her daily life - like work - and just continue this feeling. She liked that the framing of the question presumed she would see him, and that he couldn’t delay for whatever bullshit customary waiting period that so many guys did these days. He wasn’t afraid to admit he liked her… or loved her, and she had to bite back a giggle at the memory from earlier, but her lips couldn’t hide her smile.

“After school… dinner?” Her voice was huskier than earlier in the evening, and she could feel her heart rate increasing along with her breathing. She had never wanted a kiss as badly as she did right now.

He nodded against her forehead with his eyes closed, one hand gripping the back of her neck a little tighter while the other traced a path between the skin underneath her ear and her shoulder. Suddenly, he moved his head to nuzzle her neck and he kissed the spot he had just caressed and followed with a fierce peck on her check. He swallowed hard, and the regret of not going for the kiss was evident across his face. “Tomorrow,” he promised and he turned to walk away. She watched his retreating back for a moment in stunned dissatisfaction with this gentlemanly behavior, but then she noticed his funny gait and that he had to pause to adjust himself before making it to the elevator. She was able to enter her condo in victory.

 

______

Tessa’s Diary: May 8, 2018

How do you top bagels and a coffee station? Crepe Day! Crepe chef in the teachers’ lounge making crepes ALL day long… and we still get coffee… and officially date number two with Scott Moir! 

Things to watch out for:

Punctual - He was late last night, with a questionable but plausible excuse. Still not sure if I should be skeptical and cautious about his relationship with Kaitlyn… will trust they are “platonic business partners.”  
Protocols - I was willing to disregard all dating rules and procedures last night with a touch of his hand and a whiff of his cologne. Stick to the second date play book.  
Plans - What are we actually doing tonight? When are we actually doing it? I said yes to a lot of uncertainty for today. What message does this send? Am I too eager? Am I spontaneous? Am I carefree? I’m desperate? 

______

“Wait… he didn’t kiss you?” Sally’s mouth was hanging open, and only partially from the plate of freshly made crepes in front of her. Tessa rolled her eyes and shook her head no as she chewed a strawberry. “Gay?” Sally didn’t really believe that, but she was a firm believer in ruling things out.

Tessa smirked and leaned closer, “Sally…why would you even say something like that?!” Tessa warned. “No. Definitely not, judging by the painful way he walked away.” Sally chuckled and high-fived her across the table. She didn’t tell Sally, but judging by the way he got hard against her last night, she was going to be a very satisfied woman by the end of the week (tonight??) if things kept progressing. Thinking of Scott ravishing her tonight in her apartment made her cheeks flush slightly and a small grin emerge.

“Maybe he isn’t that into you.” Sally did not share her friend’s kissing rules and dating etiquette. She automatically considers it a bad sign if there is not a little making out by the end of the evening, with most first dates naturally extending to breakfast. “If a guy wants you and you want him, you end up fucking, end of story. If he doesn’t want you, he makes plans for tomorrow.” She gave Tessa her best pursed lips, judgmental, pointed face she could while making air quotes around the word tomorrow. 

Tess shook her head, “We’re seeing each other tonight… today? We didn’t get into details, but we’re seeing each other.” Now that she thinks about it, he didn’t make actual plans with her. He just said, “tomorrow,” whatever in the hell that means. Her brows furrowed, and Sally definitely noticed. 

Almost as if on cue, Tessa’s phone chimed with an incoming text message. Her eyes lit up, she bit her lower lip, and she cradled the phone in front of her with the same intensity as an addict with a syringe. It didn’t take much for Sally to figure out the message was from Scott. “So what does the possibly gay, possibly into you, possible future husband have to say?” Chewing a mouthful of crepes, Sally was blowing kisses to the crepe chef as she waited for Tessa to disengage from her phone.

“He says, ‘Countdown begins: 10 hours. But who’s counting?’ and look, he added that shrugging emoji.” Tessa was beaming as she shoved her phone across the table for Sally’s inspection. 

Sally was not impressed. “What have I told you? Never trust a man who uses any emojis other than eggplant, peach, and winky face.” She slid the phone back to Tessa, and waited for her rebuttal. 

Tessa’s laughter filled the lounge and earned them a few cross looks from the older faculty. “I think you meant don’t trust…” Tessa was back to her phone trying to decide the perfect response, she settled on “9 hours and 58 minutes. Not me.” and she added her own shrugging figure. She pushed her phone back over for Sally’s analysis.

“Seriously, 10 hours until what exactly? You don’t have a fucking clue! It could be 10 hours until he murders you. 10 hours until he sells you into the sex trade. 10 hours until he shows up with his ice dance partner and asks for a threesome!” Sally was on a roll, but she was fortunately keeping her voice down to avoid any other stares from the cranky teachers nearby.

Tessa scoffed at her suggestions, and interjected with her most innocent voice. “10 hours until we have dinner… and kiss… and oh my god, I hope we do more than kiss.” She groaned and dropped her forehead to the table with a small thud. 

Sally tapped her head and laughed, “Dear, sweet, innocent Tessa… you do realize that you control what happens tonight a hell of a lot more than Mr. Scott Moir?”

 

_____

Scott’s Schedule: May 8, 2018

5:00 AM - Breakfast  
5:30 AM - Gym  
7:30 AM - elementary school  
11:00 AM - early lunch (with friends who got ditched the night before)  
1:00 PM - practice (moved up because K is the best)  
5:00 PM - meet Tessa after school & cancel everything else forever

______

 

Scott Moir was a creature of habit. Now that the Olympics were firmly behind him, he didn’t have to adhere to the same rigorous training schedule or dietary restraints. However, he still enjoyed the structure of training and wanted to maintain some sort of consistent schedule to help him adjust to the normalcy of life as a retired skater. So, he continued his early morning routine, even when he didn’t technically have to.

He was heading into one of the local elementary schools, and he thought it was finally a safe hour to text Tessa. Her near instant response brought a huge grin to his face, and his pace quickened inside the school. He was exuberant, enthusiastic, and he channeled this newfound joy into his talk with the students at today’s elementary school. He was silently thankful he got to spend his morning with hyperactive, jumpy kindergarteners - he would have been eaten alive by cynical and surly teenagers.

His emotional high didn’t free fall until he met Patrick and Javi for lunch. Walking into the quiet cafe, he saw his friends waiting for him at a table. Their faces were already breaking into smiles, and he knew they were going to have too much fun with this.

“Soooooo…” Patrick started first. “Anything exciting you’d like to share with your buddies?”

“Yeah…” Javi leaned forward, ready to tease Scott. “Oh, I don’t know… did you happen to fall in love or something last night?”

Patrick slapped Javi across the shoulder, and shook his head. “You played that one too soon!” Turning towards Scott, Patrick put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Dude… what happened last night?!”

Scott was puzzled, and his straightforward nature took over. “What the fuck are you two talking about?” 

Looking at one another, realization kicked in as they were reminded that their pal, Scott, was the most technologically deficient millennial in North America. He had social media accounts, but they were rarely used and most updates were at the request or the action of friends and business associates. He was absolutely clueless about his viral declaration from the night before.

Patrick scrolled to find the twitter thread and accompanying pictures, and handed it over to Scott. The first few tweets were pretty innocent, pictures with fans or pictures of him sitting at the bar alone with various hashtags about him being there. Then he got to the running commentary of what went down at Foxy. Apparently, @feistypants23 heard both of his outbursts: 

“OMG! Scott-fucking-Moir at Foxy “I’m looking for a woman!”  
“LMFAO these MILFs are throwing themselves at him - expecting bras and panties to start flying!”  
“Pretty sure he meant a specific woman, crazy THOTs and stalkers out tonight. #PrayersforScott y’all!”  
“Holy shit! Moir was stood up! She ain’t here! Fellas, there’s no hope for anyone if Scott’s getting ghosted. #PrayersforScott”  
“Class act - pictures and autographs with everyone. Seriously, people off the street are pretending to have reservations to get him.”  
“Awww - he looks so sad. Someone go find his woman! We got to mend a broken heart. I’mma buy him a beer. #PrayersforScott”  
“Hold. The. Phone. SHE CAME BACK! #PrayersforScott #ANSWERED”  
“Ohhhh… but only for her jacket! Plot twist: HE stood HER up! #HexesforScott #Duped!”  
“Gorgeous, fashionable, and damn if she ain’t got her self worth! She’s leaving! You go with your bad self!”  
“OMFG. Dead. Scott Moir just shouted ‘I love you’ to this chick!!!”  
“She is floored. The whole place is floored. Mass casualties tonight courtesy of Scott Moir.”  
“They just left together… wait! She’s about to hop in her Uber and leave his ass!”  
“Damn. Can’t hear what is happening outside, but he must be one persuasive MF b/c she turned the car away!”  
“They walking down the street. Scott Moir is one lucky SOB.”

 

Javi and Patrick exchanged worried glances as they watched for changes in Scott’s jaw. After years of training, tours, and competitions, the tightness of Scott Moir’s jawline was a surprisingly accurate barometer of his mood and emotional stability. Surprisingly, the jaw indicated he was in a fairly rational state and they didn’t need to warn @fesitypants23 to be concerned for his/her general safety. 

Returning Patrick’s phone, Scott let out a long groan. “This is why we should go back to pigeons and paper.” He shook his head, and grabbed a menu. 

“Sooooo…” Patrick awkwardly prevented the conversation from shifting. “You’re in love with Tessa? We have questions. First, who the fuck is Tessa?”

 

Scott spent the entire day counting down to 5:00, and the hours after lunch dragged by at an excruciatingly slow pace due to the excessive attention he was receiving thanks to @feistypants23. He was able to answer and deflect most of the questions from his friends at lunch, and then basically repeat the inquisition all over again when he showed up for practice with Kaitlyn ("I saw the thread. Tell me everything!")... and again when his brother called... and again when his other brother called... and then once again when his mother called (when the hell did SHE find out about twitter?!). 

It was finally the last five minutes before he was supposed to be meeting Tessa at her apartment, and Scott was trying not to panic. He made the brilliant decision to stop and pick up a fresh bouquet of white tulips; however, the detour was taking much longer than he anticipated. The world’s slowest sales clerk and the most talkative senior citizen in Montreal was in front of him, and their combined super powers were triggering heart palpitations. There was no way he could speed this encounter without looking like the asshole of assholes. He grinned. He posed for pictures, and he watched the clock hit 5:00 while he was still at least ten minutes from her apartment. Finally navigating his exit from the store, he was jumping into his car at 5:05, he was officially late for date number two.


	5. Second Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of date #2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My next goal is to write longer chapters. Thanks for continuing to read, and all of your comments!

5:05

Tessa: He’s late… again.  
Sally: 5 minutes could be clock differences - relax

5:10

Tessa: What’s your rationale for 10 minutes?  
Sally: Traffic? Chill - don’t be THAT girl.

5:15

Tessa: This is why I don’t tell men where I live. I’d leave, but I’m home! Grrrr  
Sally: Hmmm… maybe he’s just a late person? Can you live with that for eternity or is it time to draw up divorce papers?

5:17

Tessa: This is ridiculous!  
Sally: Fuck ‘em! He better have been saving orphans from burning buildings.   
Sally: Someone tagged him at a store nearby. Betcha $20 he’s buying condoms. He’s late so you won’t be! (cry laughing emoji)

 

5:20

There was a sharp staccato knocking on Tessa’s front door. Her date finally decided to arrive. She took her time making her way to the door, but within 15 seconds her phone pinged with a text message. Checking her phone, her frustration waned as she saw the adorable, contrite selfie Scott took standing outside her door, and then it billowed into fury as she realized his phone was working just fine. 

She opened the door as far as the safety latch would allow. He walked forward with the assumption the door would open for him, which meant he stumbled when his chest hit the still very closed door. He stepped back in confusion, and tapped the door with his foot. Tessa cleared her throat behind the door, “Yes?”

“Uh… it’s Scott. I think your door is stuck.” He’s looking at the door frame as if he is some freaking handyman or HGTV carpenter. She has to stop her mind from wandering to domestic scenes of Scott fixing things around the condo, helping her renovate the house she was looking to purchase soon. 

“I don’t think so.” Her voice was cool, but he was truly oblivious. Did that make it better or worse? Better, because at least he wasn’t intentionally disregarding her time and disrespecting her? Worse, because that seems much more difficult of a behavior to break. Is this a dealbreaker like it has been in the past, or is Scott worth a little punctuality frustration?

 

 

 

“Ohhhhh.” Realization was starting to settle over Scott as she opened the door. He fucked up, and she was a goddess standing before him in a flirty, red patterned dress that showed off her legs. The straps and cut of the dress left her neck and shoulders practically bare, and he would nestle his face into her hair and kiss her collarbone if she wasn’t looking quite so angry. 

“You’re late.” It was a statement, question, and accusation all rolled into two words. Without warning, Scott flung the tulips towards her in some sort of nonverbal response. “In less than 24 hours, you’re late for the second date, with no phone call, text, message, anything… and you bring flowers? Awww… you’re forgiven.” The sarcastic tone in her voice, and her eyebrows told a very different story.

“Twenty minutes is like half an entire class period!” Her arms were crossed in front of her body, her hip was slightly jutting out, and he was anticipating her foot to start tapping any minute now. Her hair was collected in a messy bun on the top of her head, and he was fighting every erotic teacher fantasy he had ever had or seen on pornhub. “You know I give detention to students that are like 30 seconds late.” 

Scott perked up, and began to smile. “Detention? I think I absolutely deserve to be punished, and if that means more time with the teacher. So be it.” He stepped closer to her, unsure if he was brave enough to put his arms around her so soon. “What do the kids have to do?” He decided to go for it, and took another step closer and snaked an arm around her waist. His eyes darted between her lips and eyes, and his heart was pounding beneath her fingertips as she rested her hand on his chest.

She cocked her head to the side, and was suddenly very serious, “I make them clean my refrigerator or microwave.” She said it as if it was the most obvious punishment in the world, and Scott immediately responded with laughter.

He pulled her in for a hug, and her chest vibrated from his still chuckling torso. Once again her senses were overwhelmed and she felt intoxicated by his scent. She had to stop herself from deeply inhaling and breathing him in, so she forced herself to pull away and looked into his face. “I’m serious. You’ve got to clean my microwave.”

Trying to catch his breath, he wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes. “Oh my god, I seriously hope that’s a euphemism!” 

 

Scott Moir was the kind of guy who was always down for whatever. Out for a bite to eat? He can always have second dinner! Drinks at the pub? He can order beer in any language! Bowling? He can always pick up a spare! Skinny-dipping in a freezing hotel pool? Hold his shorts! Clean his date’s microwave? Definitely the strangest request, but call him Mr. Clean.

Following Tessa into her kitchen, Scott is rolling up his sleeves. Looking around her immaculate kitchen, he is amazed at the pristine condition of her countertops and stove. She must be the neatest cook in the world to maintain a kitchen like this, and he’s certain this will have to be the easiest microwave ever. She shows him the offending appliance, and he grabs the roll of paper towels (he seriously can’t need them - look at this place!). 

She hit shuffle on her phone, and the sounds of Hall and Oates filled the kitchen. Scott’s eyebrows shot up and he looked confused, “Wait, I thought the microwave was punishment. Hall and Oates?!” He playfully poked her side, and his heart felt like it fucking grew two sizes when he heard her giggle.   
“I’ve got EVERY album, and I’m not afraid to put that shit on replay.” Her gorgeous green eyes were laughing at him, and she started to dance as she turned the music louder.

Scott made sure to groan excessively to be heard over the music. His thumb pressed the open button on the microwave, but he didn’t pay attention as he was entirely focused on the sway of her hips and the ethereal grace of her arms. He had an overwhelming urge to skate with her, but he didn’t even know if she could… wait, she’s Canadian (right?!), so of course she can skate.

His eyes refocused on the open microwave and he let out a very audible gasp followed by a whispered, “What the fuck?” No wonder she pawned this job on to other people, it was the most disgusting microwave he had ever seen in a decade of traveling tours and public microwaves. He turned to her accusingly, “You are a Monica!” Tessa paused the music, and motioned for him to repeat himself in the newfound silence.

“You are a Monica!” 

“Monica? Monica… who?” Her voice trailed off in confusion, and her eyebrows twisted. Was he talking about an ex-girlfriend or something? Who the heck is Monica?

“From Friends… this is your closet!” He starts laughing, “You’re messy!” 

“I am not!” Tessa motions around her spotless kitchen, and is holding back her laughter. “I just… my egg exploded in the microwave this morning, and I haven’t had a chance to clean it.”He looks back into the microwave and then at Tessa. He knows this story is bullshit (months worth of exploded eggs and other foods are dried throughout), but he can tell how uncomfortable she looks and he’ll be damned if he’s the one to embarrass her right now. Looking back at the caked on splatters, he realizes this requires more than a couple of paper towels. Turning back to her, he claps his hands in front of him. “I need a measuring cup.” He knew the best and only hope this microwave had was to steam the shit out of it.

Tessa stares back at him dumbfounded for a moment, and then she jumps to it and begins opening drawers. After the third drawer, she finally returns to him triumphantly with a plastic cup. He takes it, but corrects her. “I need a glass measuring cup.” Her mouth forms a silent O, and he is thanking the heavens again for his incredible luck at being knocked over by her the day before. He has to bite his lip to keep from chuckling at her cluelessness in her own kitchen. She’s opening doors, drawers, and then just wandering in an aimless pattern before looking at him with panic hopelessness.

“I have a couple of questions.” Scott pushes himself away from the counter, and closes the distance between them. He places his hands on her shoulders, and begins to rub lightly into the tensing muscles. “First, do you actually live here?” 

His eyebrows were practically in his hairline, and she broke into full laughter. She knows she probably looks crazy and ridiculous, and this entire scenario has definitely backfired on her. She softly punches his abdomen, and the back of her knuckles linger on his ridiculously hard abs. Once again, her hands seemed to move independently as her knuckles brushed back and forth across his torso. Eyes locked, they both took in deep breaths together as if they were synchronized. She opened her hand to run up his chest towards his shoulder, and she shivered as his hands grasped her hips and brought her closer.

Their bodies moved together as if they had a well rehearsed choreographed number to the current Hall and Oates travesty playing from her speakers. Scott wasn’t sure if he was leading her towards the island or if she maneuvered herself with Scott pressing her into the granite top. They took several agonizing moments to heighten the anticipation of their first kiss. Eyes never blinking or straying, her hands running along his upper body, his hands running along her sides and back. Until finally his hands found the base of her neck, and his lips were finally on hers. 

She had suspected that Scott would be a decent kisser years before she actually met him. She was thrilled to conclude that her expectations were definitely exceeded, and this ranked as the best first kiss she had ever had. In fact, this would rank as the third best kiss of her life and it was only beaten out because of location NOT because of the skill or feelings for the other kissing partner. (Paris would always beat her kitchen island).

Scott had only known of Tessa’s existence for little more than 24 hours; however, he had fantasized about this moment from the time she ran her tiny fairy hands across his chest yesterday morning. He was thrilled that this kiss did not disappoint, and that she was the best kisser he had the privilege of kissing. He definitely did not expect to be kissing so soon or near a filthy microwave.

The kiss was reaching that watershed moment that would either mark its end or the beginning of additional intimacy. Neither wanted it to end, but neither were really ready to start fucking less than ten minutes into their second date. Against his baser desires, Scott slowed the kiss until it was just a gentle, fluttering and repeating peck randomly along her lips. Tessa sighed into his lips, and finally opened her eyes to be met by a gaze of soft adoration.

Scott’s thumb caressed her neck, and his eyes scanned her face as if he were trying to commit every freckle and pore into his memory. “So… can I get detention again tomorrow if I don’t clean your microwave right now?”

She made tsk-ing sound, and she looked at him with false contemplation. “I think that warrants you having to serve the rest of the week.”

“Deal.” His lips crushed back into hers, and suddenly fucking ten minutes into a second date didn’t seem like such a bad idea.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't think of a title for the chapter... or a summary. That is like my least favorite part of the process. So if you're reading this, thank you!

Scott has learned many things over the years as a professional athlete. However, as a professional ice dancer he learned the critical importance of music at an early age. Music can create and heighten a mood, or cause it to come to an excruciating and crashing halt. He had experienced both of these outcomes in the span of less than twenty minutes with Tessa’s playlist. 

Sarah Smile: Their first kiss was set against a Hall and Oates number that Scott is sure he had heard a hundred times in the grocery store or in the background of his life without any commemoration. But now? Now this song about Sara is catapulted to his top spot, and his new favorite. It will be committed to memory, and secretly downloaded as soon as possible to his phone. He probably would’ve had to wait to kiss her if it was that previous fucking Man-eater song. That thought makes him smile against her lips, and he murmurs, “Don’t think this is going to convert me into a Hall and Oates fan.” 

Into the Mystic: Fortunately, the music shifts to one of his favorite songs by one of his favorite singers and their mouths continue to melt into one another as their bodies respond to the music and each other. As the music intensified, Scott lifted her body as expertly as he would Kaitlyn’s on the ice, only this was Tessa and there was nothing professional about the way he gripped her thighs. His body twisted and moved with the rhythm of the music, his lips mouthed the words into her mouth, and he sang across her shoulders. His fingers were gripping into her hips as he placed her on the kitchen island, and his hands moved up the hem of her dress.

Your Precious Love: He has a vague memory of this song from car rides to practice, and was it in a movie? He definitely recognizes it, but it has been years since he has heard it. His mouth trailed down her neck, nipping her collarbone, his nose pushed the thin strap of her dress down her shoulder. His hand moved up her side to firmly cup her breast while his lips traveled down her sternum to the edge of her dress. He stiffened as her head tilted backwards in a moan, and he lurched forward when she clutched a handful of his hair between her fingers.

Try a Little Tenderness: The song shifts to some bluesy, classic oldies song that he recognizes from an 80s movie he had watched in a hotel room with the female skaters on tour years ago. He pushes the thoughts of Duckie’s iconic and doomed lip-syncing from his mind in order to focus on Tessa - her lips, her skin, the sweet fragrance from her hair. The lyrics filter through his consciousness, and the words about anticipating, squeezing, and not teasing… only intensify his tongue in her mouth and his hands caressing her thighs. Her soft whimpers were offset by her equally determined tongue and her insistent hands pushing him closer to her.

Copacabana: The beginning strands start to play, and Scott momentarily freezes. What the hell? He has two conflicting thoughts. First, this has to be the most comical and worst timing of any song ever, and the lyrics are depressing as hell, definitely not arousing. Second, how fucking OLD is she?! None of the music on her playlist was released after he was born in 1987. She has the musical taste of a middle aged woman… like his mom. 

 

Tessa felt the abrupt absence of Scott’s lips and the stillness of his hands. Her skin was suddenly cool as his hands left her legs, and ran through his hair resting on either side of his head. Looking at his face, he was clearly conflicted and she wasn’t sure if it was because things were moving too quickly, or if it was her, or what exactly had caused this moment of torment for him. 

She softly squeezed her legs so that they nudged his hips in an attempt to bring him back to the moment with her. “Hey? You okay there?” She tried to make sure there was a lightness to her voice, and the rising uneasiness stayed beneath the surface.

His hazel eyes looked up at her in melodramatic torture. “You have, with some notable exceptions, the worst taste in music I’ve ever heard.” He kissed her temple, and was laughing softly as he hugged her to his body. He was teasing her, but honestly, she hadn’t even noticed the songs that were playing, and she’s a little perplexed and offended that her music collection was enough to thwart sex or wherever this was headed. One side of her wanted to throw her dress over her head, making him no longer register the music; while the other side of her wanted to close her legs and show him the door. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding, T… but Barry Manilow??” His puppy-dog eyes may not work on her, but the deep chuckle, boyish smile, and sparkling eyes along with the cute abbreviated form of her name just might.

She was able to stop focusing on Scott’s smile long enough to catch the last verse of Copacabana, and she joined in his laughter. “This is my jam.” She jokingly pushed his shoulder, and began to move her shoulders and upper body in some intentionally bad dance moves. “There’s a story behind this song that you just lost all privileges of hearing.”

“Uh oh, an evening of debauchery with you and the other Golden Girls?” He dropped his face into her lap. As he burrowed his face into her thighs, he gave out another exaggerated moan as the song was ending. “Thank god!” His voice was muffled as he spoke against her legs, and she could feel his warm breath through the thin flimsy material of her dress. She felt a surge of arousal rip through her, and she shifted her legs in response. She decided at this moment she could be teased by him forever. 

Tessa ran her fingers through his hair as he kept his face turned down in her lap. His breathing was increasing, and she thought even if he didn’t touch her anywhere else, she could cum fully clothed just from his breath on her inner thighs. Her voice lowered to a husky and flirtatious tone, “One of us must have been doing something wrong, if all it took was a little Manilow to distract you.”

Let’s Get It On: The unmistakable beginning notes of Marvin Gaye’s sexual masterpiece swelled through the kitchen as she finished her statement. Scott’s eyes immediately lifted towards her, and his eyebrow was cocked at a rakish angle. His lips turned into a sexy, mischievous grin and his hands gripped tightly on either side of her hips. “Now this… this is music I can appreciate.” His thumbs were rubbing the intersection of her legs and torso, caressing up to her hip bone and down towards her center.

Scott Moir’s smile should be illegal. “If you can’t handle me at my Barry worst, then you don’t deserve me during Marvin.” She pat him on the cheek, and laughed as he flung his head back towards her lap groaning again at her awful pun.

The sex spell was definitely broken, for now (thanks, Barry). Tessa tapped him on the shoulder, “Let’s eat.” Scott laughed into her thighs, and she felt another pang of arousal and constriction between her legs at the vibration and warmth of his face. He propped his chin on the top of her thigh, still chuckling. “Sorry, that was either a poor choice of words or an invitation.” Tessa laughed along with him as he helped her hop down from the kitchen island, and kept his arm around her waist. 

Patting him on his chest in consolation, “Leave room for dessert.” 

 

 

Tessa’s Diary: May 9, 2018

Shit, fuck, shit… what have I done?! This is going to be a disaster.

 

It’s 6:35 AM and she is quickly scurrying down the hallway, trying to rush out of her building. Sally is a few blocks away, and they only have time for Tessa to quickly jump into the car. Today is Waffle Wednesday, and they are not about to miss freshly prepared waffles with fruit. Fortunately, she’s only on the sidewalk for a couple of minutes before Sally squeals to a stop as she steers her car onto the curb. Tessa has to delicately balance her coffee as Sally takes off again, and jolts them both as the car bounces back onto the road.

“Soooo,” Sally is giving her serious side-eye, and she has a smirk that doesn’t do a very good job of concealing her inner thoughts. “Why’d you need a ride this morning, but NOT this afternoon?”

“Sally, I screwed up last night.” She turned to her friend trying not to panic at the catastrophe she facilitated. “Last night with Scott… I don’t know how it happened, but..” she contained her scream, but definitely forgot about all of her problems as Sally ran off the road and almost crashed into a mailbox.

“Tessa! Did you fuck Scott Moir?!” Sally was oblivious to any periphery objects or obeying traffic laws at this moment. She was steering with her left hand and knee, while her right hand had grabbed Tessa’s arm and was slinging it back and forth. 

“What?! NO… I mean if it weren’t for freaking Manilow, but no, no sex, not yet.” Sally was deeply confused by her best friend. One, the heart throb of Canada was in her apartment last night and she didn't rip his clothes off and they didn’t have sex. Two, who/what/when/where/how did 'Manilow' cock-block Tessa and Scott? Three, what else could have possibly caused her to be so upset today? Four, damnit… she hoped Tessa didn’t remember she owed her $20 for the condom bet.

“I need some clarification. What the hell are you talking about, T?” Sally slid into her parking spot and earned disapproving stares from parents and older members of the faculty. Tessa mouthed “sorry!” and gave small waves to the offended teachers to mitigate her guilt by association.

Sally didn’t press Tessa until after they had their waffles, and were sitting at a secluded table in the teachers’ lounge. “Short story: we were listening to music and kissing.” Sally screeched loud enough to draw the attention of their fellow co-workers, but Tessa kept going. “Shhh… freaking Barry Manilow ruined the moment, then we went to dinner. Somehow in our talking, I agreed to,” Tessa held her hand up to count off the devastating pact she agreed to with Scott. “Have Scott pick up from school. Go to the market together and pick up fresh ingredients. Cook dinner! ME! I told him I’d cook him dinner.” 

Sally’s face did not instill any confidence or offer any delusions of her culinary abilities. “Damn, girl… WHAT was he kissing for you to agree to all of that?!” Tessa rolled her eyes at her best friend as she continued, “First, you seriously need to delete Barry Manilow from your library - I don't care what cute road trip you had with your sorority sisters. Second, you need to confess that your ‘practically perfect in every way’ Disney-princess magical prowess does not extend to the kitchen. Dilemma solved.” 

Deep, deep inside of her, Tessa knows that Sally is right. She isn’t about to psychoanalyze herself over a plate of waffles in the middle of a teachers’ lounge, but admitting her faults and her perfectionist streak are major obstacles for this solution. In fact, her mind was busy concocting a multitude of excuses and scenarios that could save her from actually admitting she couldn’t cook. Sally squeezes her hand after the bell rings for first period, “Tessa, you’re a beautiful cinnamon roll, too good for this world… who the fuck cares if you can or cannot cook, when there are people like that guy,” she nodded to the catering crew, “who will do it for you? Seriously, if Scott Moir is looking for a cook, he can hire one. He’s not going out with you because he thinks you’re the Barefoot Contessa” 

 

 

Scott is confused. “Whoa… when did either of us say YOU were going to cook dinner?” He was standing in the produce section, when Tessa finally unleashed her diatribe about not wanting to cook, and her disappointment in his patriarchal views on women preparing meals for men. She did not include the small detail that she could not cook, and was woefully unprepared for any cooking adventures. She had paused to catch her breath when Scott interrupted her with that question, and she was stunned into silence. 

His brows were furrowed, and she honestly couldn’t tell if it was over what she had just said or because of the avocado he was lightly squeezing. “I never expected YOU to cook tonight. I did expect WE would cook together.” He placed three acceptable avocados in the basket, and wandered to the onions. “I didn’t want to go out and sit across a table from you again. I didn’t want to have twitter documentation that we were out together again.” He stopped to look at her with an almost pained expression, “Wait… do you really think I’m part of the… what did you call it?” He snapped his fingers and she mouthed along with him, ‘patriarchal hierarchy,’ and grimaced at her assumptions. She shook her head no, of course she didn’t.

He was wandering towards the tomatoes, but first he detoured to stand behind her, placing his free hand on her hip. “What I DID want is to discover more of your horrendous music choices while we got to finish what we started yesterday.” His hand squeezed her hip as a reminder of their kitchen island encounter. “I can’t do that while sitting across from you at some restaurant.” He kissed the back of her head, and wandered towards the fresh herbs.


	7. Knives and Skates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner gets derailed, but ice skating gets them back on track.

This is not how Scott Moir thought his Wednesday evening was going to end. Turning his head to the right, he could see that Tessa’s eyes were closed but she couldn’t be asleep… no one could fall asleep THAT quickly, right? Turning his head to the left, he could see the clock mocking him with the painfully slow passing of time. The sigh that escaped his lips was loud enough to prompt Tessa’s eyes to flutter open, and attempt to focus on him in the dimly lit room and her voice was broken and groggy. “Scott? Everything okay?”

“Sorry… wait, were you asleep?” How the hell did she fall asleep so quickly?! He would be annoyed if he wasn’t so impressed by her practically narcoleptic ability to fall asleep in the world’s most uncomfortable bed. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Go back to sleep. They said it could be an hour before they get a doctor in here.” This bit of news elicited a sleepy groan from Tessa, and they both glanced at the clock. That meant neither would be getting any real sleep until well after midnight - definitely past both of their bedtimes during the work week.

He reached out to gently grasp her right hand, pulling it to his lips for a kiss. He hoped that his years of classes and emoting on the ice were providing her with an adorable, yet sheepish expression, “Again… I’m so, so sorry.” His mind retraced the derailment of his attempts to impress Tessa with his culinary prowess. 

________

“I thought you were Canadian?” Tessa was scrolling through his music downloads, and she looked as equally appalled at his musical tastes as he was of hers. “I’ve never seen so much country music in one place.” Her eyes were filled with humor and she attempted a horrible southern accent, “And I’ve been to Nashville.” She quickly dodged the flying piece of onion he hurled at her, and she retaliated with a cherry tomato which he somehow managed to magically catch in his mouth with triumphant eyebrows and a fist pump before turning back towards the stove. 

“You’re overthinking this… just start my playlist for tonight.” He was nervous, and he never got nervous with women. However, Tessa wasn’t the usual woman he typically dated in the past and he was willing to do practically anything to keep whatever they had going. He barely looked at her over his shoulder, and there was a tension in his shoulders that wasn’t normally there. “Just hit shuffle.” Fuck… he felt like a ridiculous teenager, just like he did when he made that sappy love song CD for his first real crush back in middle school. He was on the verge of stopping this playlist and going back to her music, but the chorus of Copacabana was still stuck in his head.

Somebody Like You: As soon as the song started, he threw his head backwards and voiced his happiness in the first song choice with a loud whoop. The song’s lyrics completely embodied all of the emotions and thoughts he had since meeting Tessa only a couple of days earlier. “Dinner can wait.” He turned down the heat, and made sure that the food was safe before he moved away from the stove to focus all of his attention on serenading her. Moving towards her in time with the song’s rhythm, he pulled her to her feet and began expertly dancing her across her kitchen and singing every word as if he memorized the lyrics just for her, just for tonight. “I want to love somebody, love somebody like you.” He twirled and dipped her in dramatic fashion, and he could see this scene playing out countless nights for the next fifty years of his life. 

Ring of Fire: Another song that encapsulated all of his thoughts about Tessa… he was definitely falling, and falling fast for her. He was thrilled to see her excitement and recognition at the classic country song. He turned back towards the stove, and they continued to sing along with the song as he started to focus his attention on the chicken in the pan. “Hey, can you slice the avocado?”

Keep Me in Mind: “Scott Moir… you are such a sap!” Tessa was giggling as he turned to serenade her. He moved in time with the music by her side, and quickly pecked her lips before turning back to the stove. He was flipping the chicken and earnestly singing, “I’d give it all up just to have you for myself,” when he heard Tessa’s gasp and the sound of the knife hitting the floor. He turned to see her clutching her hand, and blood seeping between her fingers. 

He wasn’t even aware of what other song began to play as he made a quick assessment of her injury. “Tess… that cut’s deep. We need to go... we gotta get you to an ER.” He didn’t wait to hear her objections as he began to turn off the stove, and make sure everything was secure before ushering her out of the apartment.

________

 

Before she was able to respond to his hundredth apology that evening, a fresh from medical school doctor entered the room. The young “doctor” looked like she could have been a student in Tessa’s AP Psychology class, and she was definitely harried by the busy evening in the emergency room. “Ms… Ms. Virtue?” She was barely looking up from the chart to look at the latest patient. “I’m Dr…” her voice trailed off, and her mouth was practically on the floor as she was staring not at Tessa, but Scott. “Scott Moir,” her voice came out in a breathless rush.

Scott laughed. Tessa rolled her eyes. “Dr. Scott Moir” blushed.

“Well, that’s a weird coincidence, eh?” Scott flashed the doctor one of his famous grins, and the pretty, practically prepubescent physician began to giggle. Tessa wanted to slap both of them, and ask for a new doctor. How could she trust anyone who couldn’t keep their shit together? 

“Oh… I mean… I’m Dr. Jacobs, I mean you’re Scott Moir. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. I just loved you during the Olympics, and I’ve never been more proud to be Canadian…” Tessa drowned out the rambling blabbing and congratulatory gushing of the doctor, and just stared. She wanted to scream WHAT THE FUCK?! Who actually says shit like that?! However, she just let her eyes convey her exasperation and she looked between Dr. Jacobs and Scott. 

He squeezed her hand a little tighter, “Once you take care of my friend here, why don’t we get a picture?” HIS FRIEND?! She loosened her grip on his hand, and attempted to free her hand from his. She couldn’t hide the scowl or the thin line of her lips, but he looked at her with an oblivious blank stare and didn’t press holding her hand. She knew this burst of jealousy was ridiculous and unfounded, and tried to give the doctor a chance to redeem herself.

Dr. Jacobs was not quite so oblivious, and her eyes widened at Tessa’s designation of “friend.” She eagerly jumped forward to fully look at Tessa for the first time, and Tessa could read the bitch’s mind… she thinks she’s going to get to Scott through me! The doctor gently unwrapped Tessa’s bandaged left hand, “Okay… let’s take a look at the damage. So what happened here?” Tessa involuntarily winced as the doctor forced her hand to open, and the gash throbbed with her heartbeat. Scott automatically offered his hand for her to grasp with her uninjured right hand, and his face was a portrait of guilt. He kissed her hand, and was pleased to see the doctor register that Scott Moir did not understand the definition of the word, “friend."

“I shouldn’t be trusted with sharp objects.” Tessa shrugged and attempted to make light of the fairly deep cut across her left palm. However, she was seriously regretting not taking the triage nurse up on the offer of some medication to help with the pain earlier.

“This shouldn’t require more than a few stitches. We will have you out of here soon.” Dr. Jacobs was actually pretty competent despite her obnoxious flirting and fawning over Scott. However, Tessa would soon discover that “soon” was relative, because he was needed for pictures, autographs, and even leaving voice mail messages for several friends of the doctor. She was seriously considering arranging an Uber, when finally Scott freed himself from his adoring fan club. Waving, laughing, and making various conversational goodbyes, Tessa’s frustration began to wane as he held her hand while they made their way out of the hospital. He was a genuinely nice guy, and he was genuinely excited to interact with fans. She just wished it wasn’t while she needed a dozen stitches in her hand.

After they made it through the doors of the emergency room, Scott pulled her closer to his side. Kissing her temple, his arm tightened around her. “I wish I could tell you this never happens.” His eyes were apologizing and urging her to understand his celebrity, not to be pissed or freaked out about what just transpired like every other “normal” girl he had ever dated previously. 

“You mean you bring all your dates to the emergency room?” She nudged him with her shoulder, and grinned at his laughter. “I may need to rethink this relationship.” Shit… why did she say relationship?! She wanted to be cool, calm, and breezy - just pretend she didn’t say anything or that it wasn’t a big deal, and just keep moving. However, Scott stopped in his tracks, which meant that she had to stop with him. Turning to face him, her insides were rippling with tension that she wouldn’t allow herself to show, and she was relieved to find his hazel eyes crinkling with amusement.

“If I came back after Barry Manilow, I think this relationship will be just fine.” He lowered his lips to meet hers for a quick kiss before continuing to move toward his car. 

 

Tessa’s Diary: May 10, 2018

I can’t believe I am missing the last two days of Teacher Appreciation Week. However, stitches and a late night in the ER left me exhausted. Scott is leaving for two months in only a few more days. He can’t miss the last couple of rehearsals before tour, but I get to attend practice AND he invited me to his place tonight for dinner (carryout) & movie. Must shave legs.

 

 

Tessa Virtue was in the company of not one, not two, but an entire skating arena of freaking Olympians. It seemed like every corner of the ice was inhabited by a world champion or gold medalist, and if it wasn’t for the fact that she was dating (wait… were they officially dating?!) Scott, she wouldn’t know who to watch first. Even if she wasn’t dating him, Scott was magnetic and commanded people to watch him. They were working on some exhibition piece for the upcoming tour, and it looked like they were having a blast running through the choreography.

Scott had warned her before she ever stepped foot in Gadbois. He warned her about the possible comments from his best friend, Chiddy (yeah, she was given permission to casually use Patrick-freaking-Chan’s nickname) and the gushing from Kaitlyn (she could seriously be her new best friend). He warned her about the possible cool reception from Marie-France and Patch (nope, they were wonderful and very excited to meet her). He warned her about the stares from the other skaters - he hadn’t brought anyone other than family members to the rink in the two years he had trained in Montreal (most of the female skaters gave her envious looks, and tried to be extra touchy with Scott to make her jealous).

He warned her about a lot of people, but the thing he emphasized the most in his series of warnings was about Kaitlyn. “This is my job… We are dance partners… We are friends… We have danced for twenty years…” She was starting to get suspicious that maybe he was in some sort of denial, or maybe he was compensating too hard to cover up his romantic feelings for his “strictly platonic business partner.” She reassured him with a kiss and a tight hand squeeze, but she felt queasy during the warmups. They were beautiful to watch, and there was something so emotionally raw between them she understood why Scott was so adamant in his denials. However, the more she watched, the more she determined he was right. Getting a glimpse behind-the-scenes, she realized that every stare and every touch was carefully rehearsed and orchestrated for maximum affect.

Scott motioned for her to join him near the side of the rink. His smile was a pure beam of bliss being on the ice and seeing her. She was mesmerized by the beads of sweat that had formed near his hairline, the rapid rise and fall of his chest. He leaned over the boards to give her a quick, breathless kiss, and she noticed the hush that fell over the rink as all eyes were glued to them. Her eyes scanned the rink until they landed on Scott, and she realized (as cheesy as it sounded in her head) he only had eyes for her. He was completely unaware and unconcerned with any attention his physical displays were attracting, as one hand stroked her cheek and the other tugged her right hand.

“Skate with me?” He sounded like an overly eager and excited child who wanted to share his favorite possession. However, she hadn’t been on the ice in years… and she had a freshly injured hand that could definitely not withstand a fall to the ice, and skates are sharp objects that she should probably avoid for the foreseeable future. These excuses fell on Scott’s deaf ears, and he shook his head. “You won’t fall.” She tried explaining to him that his faith in her skating abilities was overly optimistic, but he shook his head at her misunderstanding. “You won’t fall.” He emphasized every word, and she finally got it. This wasn’t him blindly believing in her skating ability, this was a promise he was making to her… not so much she wouldn’t fall, but he wouldn’t let her fall. How could she possibly refuse?

The stitches on her hand made putting on skates a little difficult, but Scott knelt before her and insisted on lacing her skates. He was efficient and meticulous in making sure the skates were a proper fit before helping her on to the ice. She immediately faltered, but true to his word, Scott’s hands were immediately there to steady her on the ice. His legs were bracing both of them, and his back was pressed to hers in an effort to support her until she found her balance. His breath was on her neck as he asked if she was ready to move forward. She nodded, and felt a burst of exhilaration as he propelled them across the ice. 

Fortunately, most of the other skaters vacated the ice for their lunch break, and even fewer people stuck around to watch their laps across the ice. He was the anchor and the captain as he lead her securely and firmly across the ice. She was convinced he could win a medal with even a novice like her. His arms and hands remained firmly connected to her at all times as he steered her across the ice. The song changed to something more seductive and sultry, and Scott’s hands moved across her body as he absentmindedly softly sang the words near her ear. Tessa was calling it… this was the best foreplay she had ever experienced, and she was ready for practice to end now.


	8. Fourth Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Expectations are high for the fourth date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realized that I messed up a little with my dates... I initially was thinking of the third date "rule" but realized that this would be their fourth date, so hopefully you can just roll with it.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos! Hopefully, you're still enjoying the story.

She heard the squeal of Sally’s tires before she saw her car appear in the parking lot. “I can’t believe you abandoned me today! I sat with the substitutes today… the SUBSTITUTES!” Sally greeted her with her favorite almond milk macchiato. Sighing as she took her first sip, she braced herself because Sally was not finished ranting about her betrayal. “And you’re not even letting me go inside! It’s like a free Stars on Ice extravaganza going on in there.” Tessa braced herself and her precious drink as Sally swerved around a slower vehicle. “I’m not repeating today. I AM NOT! I’ve already called in a sub, and I’m going to be your freaking shadow at tomorrow’s practice.”

Fortunately, they arrived to Tessa’s apartment in record time thanks to Sally’s failure to follow speed limits and basic driving norms. She didn’t really have much time to argue against Sally’s intrusion for tomorrow, because she had little more than an hour before she needed to head over to Scott’s place for this evening’s adventure. Sally was running alongside her, eager to pick out another winning ensemble while Tessa showered and prepared.

“Don’t forget to check your bikini area! No stray hairs tonight!” Sally screamed just before shutting the front door behind her. Tessa caught a brief glimpse of Mrs. Rosenhan’s distasteful shake of her head before she could apologize for Sally’s lack of a filter. Tessa didn’t have time to worry about middle-aged neighbors - Sally was right, she had some serious primping to do in a minuscule amount of time. 

They decided to divide and conquer. Sally had insisted on helping when Tessa suggested she would just wear a Leafs jersey and yoga pants. ("We are just staying in and watching a movie, no big deal.") Sally was aghast, and declared she would select three outfits and the lingerie (as much as she wanted to, she just didn’t have time to second-guess the weirdness of her best friend selecting her sex underwear), while she ran to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she was groomed, plucked, shaved, and smelt like a mixture of clean and honey thanks to her body lotion. Sally was loudly complaining about the lack of options in Tessa’s closet. “I thought I told you to bring some color into this morgue you call a closet! That’s it… when Scotty-boy leaves, we are going shopping.” Her voice was muffled as she dug deeper into the closet, “Go ahead, put your sex face on… this is taking longer than I thought!”

 

Thirty minutes later, Tessa was looking at herself in the mirror with skepticism. They were only staying in at Scott’s place tonight, and she was afraid she was tip-toeing on the wrong side of too fancy or too casual. Her hair was in a loose, messy braid, and her makeup was subtle with a heavier eye. She wasn’t sure about the outfit, despite Sally giving her two thumbs up. The black skinny jeans, camisole top and leather jacket looked more suitable for going out rather than snuggling on the couch for a movie. Sally interrupted her inner sartorial struggle by singing a low-key “bom chicka wah-wah!” Which immediately made her lose all of her anxiety, and burst out laughing and urging Sally to, “Shut up!” 

“I’m just saying… this is your fourth date, and we all know what happens on fourth dates.” Sally was pointing at her with finger-gun salutes, and wiggling her eyebrows. She suddenly shifted her hand and lunged towards Tessa as if she was holding a microphone. “Tessa Virtue, how does it feel to know that tonight you will have sexual relations with the most decorated figure skater in Olympic history?” 

She pushed Sally out of the way and shook her head. “Seriously, shut up… I don’t know.” Now that Sally verbalized this unspoken fourth date rule, she was starting to panic despite fantasizing about sex with Scott for days (let’s be real, since February when she watched that gold medal performance with the rest of the world). “I only met him on Monday, like THIS Monday, like three days ago Monday.” She could feel moisture clinging to her shirt as she started to sweat, she began flapping her arms up and down like a crazy penguin trying in vain to take flight. “I need to shut this down, there will be no sexing tonight!” The pitch and volume of her voice was rising to shrieking levels. “I just have to wait until he comes back from tour.” She was nodding at her new plan, and contemplating changing into sweats and removing her carefully constructed makeup.

Sally was baffled and bemused by her beautiful friend. “Oh,Tessa… you glorious, graceful, petite gazelle. You’re insane.” She was patting Tessa on the cheek, and looking at her with the same amusement Tessa looked at her four year-old niece when she said something strange and adorable. “Seriously, why are you putting this pressure on yourself or him! Fuck arbitrary dating rules… and if the opportunity presents itself fuck him! Who cares if it is the fourth or fortieth date?! If you want to have sex and he wants to have sex… well… bom chicka wah-wah!” Tessa’s shoulders relaxed and they were both laughing again. “Now, it never hurts to be prepared.” Sally winked as she handed Tessa her purse. “I might be overly optimistic in Mr. Moir’s abilities and physical dimensions, but I packed a couple of condoms in your purse… magnum.” Tessa groaned in embarrassment as she snatched her purse from Sally.

 

 

Chiddy and Kaitlyn both accompanied Scott back to his place for last minute preparations. He knew his only path for a successful evening was if they divided and conquered. Scott wasn’t a messy person, but Kaitlyn attacked the accumulated clutter in his living room and kitchen space. She was also in charge of handling the carryout dinner, preparing the lighting (“This is why I told you to buy lamps!”), and selecting possible movies for tonight (“Bloodsport is NOT date appropriate, Scott! Gah, no wonder you’re still single!”) . 

Chiddy ran upstairs with him to work on the bedroom as Scott showered. “Dude, what are you wearing?” Chiddy was yelling from inside Scott’s closet, and he was confused. They were just Netflixing and chilling… he couldn’t just wear sweats and a t-shirt? Judging from the disapproving looks of his best friend, no… no he could not.

Twenty minutes later, Scott was fully over-dressed complete with the expensive cologne he only wore on special occasions. Kaitlyn was quick to remind him that this wasn’t just a regular evening at his place, “This is the FOURTH date, Scott! This is no time for Old Spice!” She agreed with Chiddy’s clothing choices of dark, fitted jeans with a thin, black sweater. He argued that it was ridiculous to wear a sweater in May, but his opinion was loudly outvoted. Now he was standing in his living room, and he was sweating. Granted the sweat was more from nerves than the sweater, but he was hoping they would leave in time for him to change into something more comfortable before Tessa arrived.

“Okay, you handled the bathroom after you showered… kitchen is ready for dinner, and the living room has the perfect mood lighting. How’s the bedroom, Chiddy?” Kaitlyn was checking off a mental list of things to prepare for the date. She was seriously making him anxious about something that was supposed to be low-key and low-stress. 

Chiddy was nodding his head, and both of them were talking around him as if they weren’t standing next to him in the middle of his fucking loft. “Bedroom is good - bed was already made.” They both nodded at him in surprised approval. “And… I made sure the nightstand is stocked.” Chiddy lifted his hand in a high-five and began singing the ubiquitous song for sex, “bom chicka wah-wah!”

Scott did not high five Chiddy. In fact, he wanted to punch his friend in the throat, but decided against it. Kaitlyn was laughing and gamely met Chiddy for the high five, and they laughed at Scott’s discomfort. “Et tu, Kaitlyn?” Scott shot a withering glare to his partner. “Seriously, you guys… don’t start up on the fourth date bull shit. Doesn’t count when it is the fourth date in four days, and the third date was mostly spent in the hospital. We’ve broken every dating rule out there.”

Kaitlyn stepped forward and tapped her hand across Scott’s shoulder blades. “Scott, Scott, Scott… you’ve seen this girl everyday since you’ve met her. You attempted to cook at her place. You invited her to your place for dinner and a movie that neither of you have any intention of watching…” She looked at him with almost pity at his cluelessness. “Netflix and chill is LITERALLY the code for sex.”

“But I didn’t say ‘Netflix and chill!’ All I said was, ‘Why don’t I get carryout and we watch a movie at my place?’’ (Shit. He DID say Netflix and chill only with synonyms.) He was definitely sweating through the sweater now. “Shit, does she think it meant sex too?!” Scott was wide eyed, and looked slightly terrified at the two people who just sent him into a tail spin about tonight’s expectations. (Let’s be real, he had fantasized about having sex with Tessa since Monday morning once he felt her elfin hands across his chest and he stared into her gorgeous green eyes.) He was definitely ready for sex, but that didn’t mean she was on the same timetable. What if Tessa was worrying and regretting agreeing to tonight’s plans because he was pressing her too quickly?

“Uh, yeah, she does.” Kaitlyn shook her head at Scott’s innocence. “And she said YES.” She walked back towards him, and popped his stomach.“Scott. I know this is a shock for you, but women like to get laid too… I know. I, too, am one of those women. I can guarantee you that she’s just as eager to ‘chill’ with you tonight.” 

As Kaitlyn was trying to convince him that Tessa was just as much a horn-dog as he was, Chiddy started to slink his body in some kind of weird stripper-dance type move and once again croon “bom chicka wah-wah.” (He was seriously going to kill him.) Chiddy was able to block the thrown pillow from hitting his face, and laughed. “You’re a grown ass man, Moir! You’re not some forty year old virgin!” Scott groaned at his words, because after almost a year without sex he felt Steve Carell's character was a kindred spirit. 

 

Another thirty minutes passed too quickly, and Scott felt more nervous than he had in the last two years of competitions leading up to the Olympics. Kaitlyn and Chiddy had just left, and it was dangerous for Scott to be alone with his thoughts. His energy was kicking into high gear, and he either needed to go for a jog (not the best solution considering Tessa would be arriving in the next ten minutes), drink (nope, can’t be that weird guy drinking alone before she shows up), pull a There’s Something About Mary (there’s no way that Tessa would believe that was hair gel), read (not even humanly possible for him to sit down and focus on words on a page right now), cook (shit, why did he get carryout that’s already prepared?!), or sit and watch the clock (When did sixty seconds last longer than sixty minutes? What is time? Is time travel possible? Who should be the next Dr. Who?).

Fortunately, Tessa arrived a few minutes early and prevented him from delving any deeper into the concept of time. He took a couple of deep breaths and repeated a couple of mental mantras from therapy before he opened the door.

 

Tessa was early. Actually, she was really, really early, and had already spent fifteen minutes outside his building sitting in her car. When she first arrived, she slunk down deep behind her steering wheel as she watched Kaitlyn and Chiddy walk into the building with several bags that looked like carryout food. Were they joining them tonight? She had very conflicting emotions at the thought that this was a group hanging out, and it wasn’t the epic “fourth” date Sally had prepped her for… relief that the sex question was already answered (definitely not with an audience, and she didn’t think they were swinging skaters) and bitter disappointment that sex wasn’t even a possibility (it had been sooooooo long, and the ice skating today… the attempt at cooking and love songs yesterday… and omg, the kissing in her kitchen… she needed sex to at least be an option).

Her emotions were finally under control, and Tessa was ready to join the gang like she was a Scooby-Doo party crasher, but Chiddy and Kaitlyn were rushing out the door of the building. They were empty-handed and laughing as they jumped into Chiddy’s car to drive away. Tessa sat back in her car for a moment before dashing across the parking lot… this evening it was just the two of them. 

 

There was approximately 120 seconds between Tessa’s first knock and when Scott opened his front door. During that time, her mind was a whirlwind of chaotic possibilities and various scenarios. Option 1: Jump him as soon as he opens the door. Option 2: Let him jump her as soon as he opens the door. Option 3: Eat, watch the movie, and let the evening progress at a natural pace. Option 4: Run.

Unfortunately, she did not entertain the actual outcome of the opened door. Option 5: Stand there uncomfortably, not making eye contact, until they bump heads as they both move at the same time to hug each other. She silently cursed Sally with a plague on all her fucking houses for getting inside her head. (Scott was simultaneously cursing Chiddy and Kaitlyn with similar, but more violent ends.) 

Scott stiffly stood aside, and wordlessly motioned for her to enter his loft. She awkwardly accepted the invitation with a forced laugh, “You know, if I was a vampire, you just gave me full access to a Scott Moir buffet.” (Why… what… the… hell! What the fuck!? Vampires?! Stop. Talking. Now!) Her face was a frozen portrait of embarrassment, horror, and regret, and she really wished that Option 4 was still an option.

“Uhhhh… okay?” Her comment at least made him lift his eyes to meet hers. For a few seconds their eyes were wary of each other, and the couple of feet between them felt more like Lake Superior. Scott’s eyes were the first to crinkle, and he couldn’t hold back his laughter at the preposterous situation. “Vampire, eh?” He was wiping away tears from his eyes, and she was laughing with him. “I should’ve gotten extra garlic if I knew you were going to go all True Blood on me.” 

She couldn’t help the outpouring of honesty between her giggles, “Stupid Sally!” He looked at her with confusion, and reached for her hand as he pulled her close to him. “She got into my head, and it just made me so nervous. I don’t know why I said that.”

Scott’s shoulders visibly relaxed and his face lit up in recognition. “Me too! Chiddy and Kaitlyn were going nuts earlier about the fourth date and…” She could see the flush creep up his neck as his voice trailed off, and she was hit with a ridiculously surreal thought. Three Olympic gold medalists were discussing her potential sex life, and she was cackling again.

 

She snorts when she laughs, and Scott has never been more attracted to her or any other woman than right now at this moment. She is completely uninhibited with nearly full-body convulsions, and her mascara is starting to smear at her eyes. He is chuckling, but totally at her… not with her, because he doesn’t really know what caused this particular hysterical reaction. He thinks she is starting to calm down, but then she slaps her thigh with her right hand which is still clutching her purse. However, this causes the purse to fall to the floor and the contents of about two dozen condoms spill across his foyer.

Her laughter stops immediately. He is staring into her horrified green eyes, and his first thought is how shocked he is by the number of condoms that could fit into such a tiny, magical handbag. He tries to stifle the laughter and the smile, but even biting his lower lip doesn’t prevent the snort from escaping. He leans over to pick up a condom and makes an appreciative face, “Magnum… thanks.” He’s grinning at her again, “I’m flattered you have so much faith in my abilities.”


	9. Fourth Date Escalates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What do you do with a dozen condoms??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like minor smuttish... it isn't too graphic, but there is some stuff happening. So if you're not into that, you've been warned!
> 
> Also, this is short and really should've been part of the last chapter. However, I was able to write more today and I know I won't be able to write again until later in the week. So I thought I should give you what I got.
> 
> Hopefully, you're still enjoying the story! If you're not into all the condoms... don't worry, they find a use for them.

Scott was smirking. Scott, a five-time Olympic medalist, was holding a condom in front of her, and he was amused and as gentlemanly as someone could possibly be in this situation. Things could be worse, but Sally was still a dead woman (a COUPLE of condoms, my ass!). She was seriously contemplating Option 5, but she could meet his comeback, and hopefully play this off. She closed her eyes, and made a face of exaggerated discomfort. “So how many drinks do you think it will take until this is blacked out from your memory?”

Scott laughed and looked relieved as he pulled her close to kiss the top of her hair. “Hmm… one for every packet?” He shrugged and gave her the most adorably apologetic smile. “Sorry, babe, I don’t think Canada has enough wine or beer.” They both laughed and stooped down to pick up the condoms. “You know, I think the real low point was the vampire buffet comment.” He gave her a half smile as she lightly punched his shoulder, and he laughed at her embarrassed groan. “I have a question, and then I promise I won’t ever bring this up again…” He paused and lifted an eyebrow, “tonight, I won’t bring it up tonight. Tomorrow it’s totally fair game again.” She took a deep breath, and nodded silently as she braced herself for whatever he was about to ask. She watched his face break into an impish grin. “Wanna make water balloons?”

All the uncomfortable tension and awkwardness evaporated with her laughter, and she seriously thought for the first time that she could totally fall in love with Scott Moir. 

 

 

He couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed so much. With any other person, the avalanche of condoms could have derailed the entire evening and been the last date. However, Tessa’s laughter and excitement at making water balloons made him feel like he was a teenager again. They splashed each other over the sink in his kitchen, and he had to focus ALL his attention on the condom in his hand (oh… the irony!) and not the damp camisole clinging to Tessa’s cleavage. They were both laughing and amazed at how much water a condom could hold, and decided that they would only make “normal” sized balloons to avoid any catastrophes in transportation. Which brought them to their first dilemma… what to do with the balloons? 

“Too bad we can’t transport these. I’d pelt Chiddy in the face.” Scott jostled the balloon in his hands. Imagining the expression on his friend’s face if Scott greeted him at his door with a water-filled condom, Scott chuckled in amusement.

Second dilemma… how many condoms to save? Scott was very aware that they were down to the last couple of condoms, and he didn’t want to be a presumptive asshole and set them aside. Two dozen condoms were ridiculous, but two condoms could be pretty useful by the end of the evening. Tessa appeared to be oblivious to the total number of condoms as she grabbed one of the two, so he followed right along and ripped the last packet open to prepare the final balloon. 

“Wait until Sally finds out how we used these condoms.” Tessa was laughing with him, and realized that she just exposed how involved Sally was in her preparations for the evening.

“Whoa… so it was Sally that thought so highly of me.” Scott feigned being hurt as he splayed his fingers across his heart. “Remind me to thank her for a very memorable beginning to our epic fourth date.” He moved his hands in front of her to mockingly emphasize “fourth” date. Rolling his eyes, he leaned his hip against the counter, and picked up the first giant balloon. “Confession time… Chiddy stocked my nightstand when he was here earlier.”

She raised her eyebrows and exhaled a short laugh. “Oh really? So you’re saying we have more water balloons to make?” His laugh exploded spontaneously so that he dropped the balloon he was holding at their feet. The cascade of water from the splash of nearly two gallons drenched both of them. 

 

 

Tessa’s sides were hurting from laughing. They had just finished mopping all of the water from Scott’s kitchen floor, and they were both shivering from their damp clothes. Noticing her teeth chattering, Scott pulled her behind him as he moved towards the stairs. “You’re freezing… I’m sure I’ve got something you can wear upstairs.” 

She dug her heels into the floor causing them to both stop. She channeled whatever inner temptress she had, and looked up from beneath her eyelashes. “Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Moir?” Her lips betrayed any seriousness, and her character was broken with her giggles that didn’t last long when Scott placed his hands on either side of her hips.

“Maybe.” His voice dropped an octave and she could feel her insides flip in anticipation, but his lips were infuriatingly out of reach. Her hand snaked up his chest, and she was reminded of that first moment she met him with a drenched chest in the teacher workroom. This time her hands had free roaming rights, and her right hand moved up towards his neck so that her fingers could play with the hair at the base of his neck. She felt his chest tighten and heard him rapidly suck in a breath, “Definitely,” he promised as he finally kissed her.

Scott’s hands wasted little time on her hips before he expertly lifted her and guided her legs to wrap around his waist. She shouldn’t have been surprised considering he was a professional at moving with a woman’s body wrapped around him, but she still gave a startled gasp against his lips. He was in the process of carrying her upstairs, but he instantly paused to check with her. “Whoa… I’m sorry, are you okay?” He was loosening his grip on her, and she realized he was attempting to put her down.

Words were a poor way to use her mouth at a time like this, and Tessa latched hers onto Scott with a newfound ferocity to dissolve any doubts he may have about her willingness. She nodded her head against his, and tightened her arms and legs around him. She contracted even more when he released a soft moan into her lips and continued the path towards his bedroom.

Whatever athletic feats Scott performed on ice truly paled in his agile ascent of his stairs with her firmly attached to him. The deepening kiss infiltrated her senses, and she forgot every kiss that came before (Paris could fuck off - she’d gladly stay pressed between Scott’s bedroom door and his chest for eternity without ever seeing the Seine again). She reached behind herself to open the door, and they tumbled wildly into the room. She was even more impressed that Scott didn’t drop her with the sudden loss of balance, but he recovered like the professional he was before depositing her on his bed.

 

 

Tessa was sitting on his bed, and all he could do was stare at her. She blinked back at him, she was waiting for him to make a move. In the back of his mind, he knew he was leaving in a few days for two fucking months. He only had a couple more nights to be with her before they entered a stressful uncertain limbo (Would she wait for him? Does he even ask that of her at this point?), and he felt this pressing need to make a detailed memory of everything. His eyes mapped the locations of every freckle, surveyed the curves of her body and the planes of her face, studied the color of her eyes and hair. His memory would be the only thing to sustain him over the next 60 days (damn… that’s longer than Lent), and he wouldn’t rush this encoding process. 

“Scott?” Her eyes were questioning him and her hand was reaching out to bring him to her. The uncertainty in her voice was enough to shake him from his reverie, and focus on the present and not to get caught up in the tour and the time away from her. His eyes weren’t roaming her features, but honed in and focused on hers and he watched the doubt fade into arousal.

Their lips were practically attacking each other with a frantic intensity that would scare him if it wasn’t Tessa. Her hands quickly discarded his sweater as his lips traveled away from her lips and down her neck. He reached down to remove the camisole, and his mouth went dry, his fingers fumbled as he tried in vain to remove her bra. After an excruciating minute, Tessa took pity on him and unclasped the back hooks, and reached down to unbutton her jeans. He pulled back to watch her slide her pants down her legs and toss her bra off the side of his bed. Her hands were on his belt before he could have a chance to follow her lead.

They were on their knees facing each other in the middle of his bed. The sight of her biting her lip as her eyes moved down his chest to meet her hands at the waistband of his jeans, made him painfully hard. Her eyes met his as she leaned in for a slow kiss, never breaking eye contact, she pulled his jeans down his hips. Her eyes widened and she made a soft gasp against his lips as she felt how hard he was pressed against her abdomen.

He wasn’t sure where her body ended and his began. Their limbs were entangled with one another, and their bodies shifted positions across his bed as if they were involved in a complex number on the ice. His mouth latched to her nipple while she tugged his hair. His mouth continued to travel down the length of her abdomen, and he licked the outside of her panties already tasting the wetness that seeped through.

Tessa groaned, ‘Condom. Now.” His confusion must have shown on his face because she was shaking her head and pulling him up her body. “We can go slow later, please I need you now.” 

Scott was excellent at following instructions, and reached over to open the freshly stocked nightstand (he had never been more grateful for Chiddy). His hand reached inside for the familiar foil packet, but the drawer was empty except for a plastic bottle. His heart quickened, and he sat up straight from Tessa to look inside the drawer. Empty, except now he could see that the plastic bottle was a container of astroglide lubricant. He opened the second drawer with more force than was necessary, but was greeted with an additional two tubes of lubrication (I’m going to fucking kill him).

 

 

Tessa was alone on Scott’s bed, and completely confused as she stared at the open door. Wordlessly, he bolted from the bed and ran downstairs. Was it her? Did she come on too strong? She suddenly felt all of her nakedness and attempted to coverup under his sheets, when she heard him yell, “FUCK!” then a loud splash and banging sound from downstairs. A few minutes later, he was in the doorway with a glass of water and a glass of wine. He held both out for her to choose. “Do you want the bad news or the good news?”

She felt like she was going to need the wine. Sipping the wine, she looked at him with confusion before finally saying, “Bad news.” 

“Bad news? You can’t use a condom for its intended purpose after you’ve used it as a water balloon.” His voice was incredulous, and his face was a mixture of seething anger and amusement. “Good news? I’ve got 22 balloons to fucking drown Patrick Chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way: I watched some disturbing and hilarious youtube videos of condom water balloons to research this section. Someone got almost 5 gallons into one... it was something to see.


	10. Hollywood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes your friends aren't really your friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking around to read my story! It has been a crazy week, but I should be able to get another chapter out soon. I'm sorry for not getting to update sooner!
> 
> Apparently, Sex and the City turned 20 this week and I was inspired by a scene from one of the episodes.

Tessa was confused… Just like before, the crazy sexual intensity was abruptly thwarted, only this time she didn’t fully understand why or what just happened. Clutching the sheet across her chest, she cleared her throat. “So… not to be awkward or anything,” Ugh… she could feel the heat spreading across her face. “But what just happened?”

His face contorted into a grimace and then placating with upturned eyebrows and a soft tone, attempting to soothe any negative feelings she had. “Ohhhh, babe… the drawer…” He nodded towards the nightstand. “It was empty, and I ran downstairs to see if there were extra condoms…” His voice trailed off and he released a frustrated sigh. “BUT we used them all for water balloons.” He started to chuckle as the words hit both of them with the preposterous situation they once again found themselves.

Scott held his hands up in defense at the withering disbelief that radiated from her expression. She lunged forward to check the nightstand for herself. “Scott?” She opened both drawers and held up the three bottles. “Why do you have THREE bottles of lube next to your bed?” One bottle she could understand, but three… what kind of kinky fuckery takes place up here?!

“Chiddy.” The name that would haunt their dreams tonight. “It really gives me some unwanted insight into HIS sex life that he thought we needed three bottles and no condoms to be fully stocked.” He was chuckling, but Tessa knew it was out of frustration and disbelief at the situation. 

Her giggle felt forced, but a flash of hope filled her. “Wait! Did you check my purse? Maybe there’s one still inside!” She started to scramble from the bed, clinging shyly to his sheet for coverage. His shaking head and hand on her arm, made her relax back against the headboard. 

“Yup, I checked.” Scott tilted his head and his eyebrows formed an arch that framed his face (argh… she loved this man’s expressive as fuck eyebrows!). “When I didn’t find one I poured us a glass of wine.”

“Arrrrrgh!!!” She threw her head back and growled at the ceiling. “What were we thinking?!” The realization that they had wasted two dozen condoms as water balloons was an effective cold shower that extinguished her libido. They couldn’t just pick up where they left off at this point, and she was mentally kicking her ass for stopping him only a few minutes ago. She made a silent vow: never again would she ever stop Scott Moir from going down on her. 

Scott joined her against the headboard, grasped her hand bringing it to his lips before resting their joined hands against his chest. He looked up at the ceiling, “I’m going to kill Chiddy.” 

Resting her head against his shoulder, she nodded in agreement. “I’ll help you hide the body.”

 

 

Tessa: I hate you.  
Sally: ???  
Tessa: COUPLE of condoms?!?!  
Sally: “What we prepare for is what we shall get.”   
Sally: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.”  
Sally: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”  
Tessa: Stop looking at your daily affirmation calendar!  
Sally: “Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”  
Sally: I am your future self and you’re welcome. ;)  
Tessa: I am definitely not saying thank you.  
Sally: I need details… OMW!

 

 

“TESSA!” Sally was banging on her front door and screaming like she was Marlon Brando in the hallway. Running to the door, she opened it just in time to see the scathing look and shaking head from Mrs. Rosenhan. Tessa mouthed, “So sorry - she’s crazy,” behind Sally’s back and shut the door with an apologetic shrug.

“I want to hear ALL the shocking and explicit details! Let me live vicariously through your bedroom shenanigans.” Sally collapsed onto her couch, but had her hands clasped together pleading for all the uncensored details.

“Well… short story: we didn’t have a condom. Wait, correction, we ran out of condoms.” If life was an animated film, Sally’s head would have exploded and quickly rebuilt only to explode again. 

“There were 24 condoms in your bag! How the fuck did you run out?!” She was giving Tessa’s arm little slaps of excitement, until her mind wandered onto a possibility. “Wait… does he not know how condoms work?” Her face changed to pity, “Magnums were a bold and ambitious choice… I know the camera adds 10 pounds, maybe it adds inches too?”

“Nooo… he definitely doesn’t have any problems in THAT area.” Tessa sucked in her breath at the flashbulb memory of Scott against her abdomen the night before. “You chose… wisely.”

Sally appeared to come to a realization. “Oh no,” Sally enveloped Tessa in a warm hug. “Is he a one-pump-wonder?”

“Huh?”

“You know… does he suffer from abbreviated stamina?” Sally had pulled back from hugging Tessa, and was looking at her with a sympathetic expression. Realizing she needed to clarify, Sally dropped her voice even though it was only the two of them. “You know… premature…”

“What?! No… well, I don’t think so. I wouldn’t know yet.” She didn’t think that would be an issue, but she wouldn’t be able to honestly answer that question for at least another night.

“Oh… did he not…” Sally bent her head down, looked up at Tessa while make some motions with her hands that attempted to communicate some sort of problem. Finally she shouted, “Viagra!”

Rolling her eyes, Tessa snapped at her best friend. “Sally, my students are more mature about sex than you… No, there was no need for anything like that. We just didn’t have a condom when we needed it. So we cuddled and watched a movie.” That was the best summation of the evening, and Tessa left it with a shrug. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t want to share all the details of her date. The way she fell asleep wrapped in Scott’s arms and the sweet morning kisses he rained across her face before he left for rehearsal… it was sentimental and felt significant. She couldn’t betray Scott and the feelings she was developing, not even with her best friend.

“You cuddled and watched a movie?! What kind of responsible 20-something are you?! YOU HAD 24 CONDOMS! How the hell did you not have one?!” She was sure Mrs. Rosenhan could hear Sally’s exclamation across the hall. 

“Water balloons.”

 

 

“What the hell?!” Patrick had barely stepped out of his car when he was bombarded by two of the strongest and largest water balloons he had ever felt. He was drenched in his practice clothes, and he was sputtering as the water dripped down his face. Clearing his eyes, he saw Scott standing a few feet away grasping two additional balloons. “Dude? Seriously?”

Scott didn’t hesitate to blast him with the balloons with even more force than the first two. Before he could open his eyes or move, he felt two additional balloons hit him. “What the fuck? SIX…” he felt another balloon miss him and splash on the ground at his feet. 

“Yeah… Chiddy… What. the. fuck?” The next balloon hit his back as he turned to avoid another head-on collision. “What happened to you stocking my nightstand you asshat?!”

Sitting in the locker room a few minutes later, Scott was able to fill Chiddy in on the previous night’s disruptions and derailments. Patrick could barely breathe. “That’s the funniest shit I’ve heard in a long time, man… sorry that I’m laughing at your misery, but DUDE!” He was dissolving into another fit of giggles picturing Scott’s discomfort the previous night. “Why didn’t you pocket one of the condoms for later?!”

“What an excellent question, Patrick!” Scott’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Maybe because my former best friend claimed to have ‘stocked’ my nightstand.” Scott’s fingers went from air quotes to pretending to choke Chiddy’s neck. 

“Yeah… I DID stock your nightstand.”

“WITH THREE BOTTLES OF LUBE!” Scott’s voice was strained as he yelled across the locker room. “Geez, Chiddy… what the hell did you think we were going to do that would require not one, not two, but THREE bottles?!” His fingers counted out each of the numbers.

“First, I can’t believe you don’t have condoms at your place.” Scott’s withering glare told Chiddy not to linger on this point. “Second, lube is for BOTH of your pleasure… you should look into it. Seriously, dude, you’ll thank me later.” Scott’s glare turned corrosive. “Third, I must have got my bags mixed up.” Venomous rage was the best description Chiddy could think of to describe the look from Scott. “I totally meant to leave some condoms and only one tube.” Scott’s eyebrows were raised in distrust. “Scout’s honor! The other two were for us.” Scott’s eyes closed from the oversharing of his friend, and the mental pictures that were invading his thoughts. “So… if you didn’t use them… could I get those two bottles back?” Scott was definitely taking Tess up on the offer to hide the body.

 

 

“You know what we should do?” Sally jumped from the couch with excitement. “Forget going to rehearsal this morning. Let’s go get pampered… pedicures and waxes so you’re ready for tonight.”

This was tempting, and Sally could clearly see the struggle play out across Tessa’s features. “I would love that. I haven’t been in nearly a month because of testing and the end of the year chaos,” She sighed loudly in defeat, “But I promised Scott I’d meet him at rehearsal.”

“You CAN meet him, just afterward… come on, it’ll be my treat after the crappy night you had.”

Tessa only felt slightly guilty about skipping out on Scott’s practice. The hot stones on her calves, and the massaging chair on her back made it almost easy to justify ditching practice. She picked out a nearly nude shade of pink for her fingers and toes, and Sally convinced her to get her bikini area waxed while they were there. It had been a year or more since Tessa needed to do any grooming in that area, and if she was being honest that played into her stopping Scott last night. Thinking of her earlier pledge to herself, she surprised herself and Sally by agreeing to the bikini wax treatment.

Following the drying of her nails, Tessa found herself in a private room in the back of the spa. The mellow music and dim lights made her think that maybe Sally was surprising her with a massage instead of the waxing. However, that notion disappeared when the aesthetician, Olga, entered the room with a tray of supplies. 

Tessa attempted to make awkward pleasantries with the woman, and she was relieved that she seemed to speak very little English. This meant that there was no pressure to carry on a conversation, and Tessa could try to relax as much as possible during the process. She could only make out portions of the French, but she was able to understand that she needed to remove her panties to get the waxing started. Olga began to move her legs, and instructed Tessa to hold her right leg back towards her by the knee. She had barely closed her eyes when she felt the wax spread across her and almost instantly ripped out. “Argh!” She screamed in surprise… that was not her bikini area.

Tessa was half bare before she had the ability to finally speak, and try to get Olga to stop ripping all of her hair from her body. “Wait! I only wanted my bikini line!” Tessa’s voice was a shriek as another strip was removed.

Olga did not look patient or amused. “No… Hollywood.” She tapped Tessa’s wrist to remove her right leg, and brought her left leg up and motioned for her to hold that leg as well. Tessa managed to look down, and realized that she was just going to have to let Olga finish what she started. She complied with the instructions and grimaced her way through the tweezing and the manipulations, and she even started to giggle when she realized that Olga had managed to be more intimate with her "lady bits" than Scott. “Flip.” Olga was tapping her hip and motioned for Tessa to flip over.

Tessa lifted her head to see she was very bare, very red, and very irritated. “Flip?” She remained firmly on her back, and looked at Olga with confusion.

Olga was still impatient and even less amused if possible. “Hollywood… flip.” Tessa clenched her jaw, and decided to see the rest of the so-called Hollywood through to the bitter end. However, when she felt Olga’s hands guiding her to be on her hands and knees, Tessa wondered if it was too late to ask for something less American… like maybe the Toronto? Fortunately, Olga was quick and efficient, and before she could think of a more conservative city, Tessa was 100% completely hair free.

Olga began to rub a soothing cream over her, “No bath, no swim, no exercise, no sex for 24 hours.”

“WHAT?!” Tessa was sitting straight up, and the burning sensation of her skin faded as she replayed Olga’s post-wax rules. “Huh? Repeat that.”

“No bath, no swim, no exercise, no sex for 24 hours.” Olga tossed her gloves into the trash and walked out of the room. The swish of the curtains were just as dramatic as if she was an evil villainess swishing a cape of doom and destruction behind her.

Tessa’s mind was spinning. She grabbed her panties and winced as she pulled the fabric over her very exposed and angry skin. Tears sprang to her eyes as she pulled her jeans up and began to move towards the lobby. On a mission to find Sally, one thought kept her putting one foot in front of the other, “I’m gonna kill her.”


	11. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-Hollywood conversations about the upcoming tour.

Every step created new stabs of friction across Tessa’s freshly waxed body. She tried to control her breathing as she experimented with her strides to determine which would cause the least chafing. Long strides? Short strides? Didn’t really matter, it all fucking burned, and she didn’t even care if she was acting like a baby. However, the discomfort and pain disappeared for a brief shining moment of rage as her eyes landed on Sally. Her former best friend (and current nemesis) was sitting on a sofa admiring her pedicure and drinking cucumber water… fucking cucumber water.

Watching Sally tilt the glass towards her lips, completely oblivious of the mayhem she left in her wake, Tessa wished she had one of the water balloons. Improvising with the water pitcher, she did the next best thing.

“What the fuck!” Sally was sputtering as Tessa dumped the gallon of iced water over her head and into her lap. She didn’t even care about the disapproving stares thrown their way or the angry manager rushing over to escort them out of the building. She stayed silent until they were in Sally’s car (why did she always let her drive?!).

“You’ve got a cucumber slice in your hair.” 

“Seriously, why the hell did you try to drown me in vegetable water?” Sally was completely turned to interrogate her. Hands in the air (not on the steering wheel as they should be), and her eyes were just as incensed as Tessa’s.

“HOLLY-WOOD!” Under normal circumstances, Tessa is the cool, calm one. However, the past week had been anything but normal, and the hot tears of frustration began to escape down her cheeks. “I was supposed to go watch Scott skate, but NOOOOOOOOO! You drag me off to get all my pubic hair ripped off and I can’t have sex for 24 hours.” Sally had the decency to look guilty and sympathetic. “Do you know when Scott leaves?” She poked Sally’s chest. “Do you?!” She poked her again. “He leaves in like 26 hours or some other ridiculously short amount of time. I love you, Sally, but I hate you right now.” Tessa turned to stare out the window as her friend desperately tried to figure out a way to redeem the situation.

“We can still make part of the practice…” Sally suggested hopefully.

“Just take me home. I need an ice pack, ibuprofen, and a drink.”

 

 

Tessa: Bad news or bad news?  
Scott: Hmm… tough decision  
Scott: Bad news  
Tessa: Can’t make it to practice today. Sorry :(  
Scott: No worries  
Scott: Wait - is tonight the other bad news?  
Tessa: Kinda, sorta   
Scott: ???  
Tessa: Tonight is good, my place please

 

Sally groaned as she looked over at the thumbs up emoji Scott sent Tessa. “What did I tell you about guys who use emojis?!”

“You’re still dead to me…” Tessa didn’t even look up from her phone to acknowledge Sally’s presence. She was basically Tessa’s bitch for the next couple of hours, days, weeks, eternity. Her current task was helping get Tessa situated before Scott found out the real other bad news. “Don’t forget the laundry.”

Seriously, Sally felt awful for her part in Tessa’s predicament. However, some of this blame was awfully unfair. She mumbled loudly as she stomped through Tessa’s apartment. “I bought enough condoms for a month of fucking, and the idiots waste them on water balloons! Morons… I fucking set you up for fucking! But yeah, blame ME!” Her voice continued to get louder, hoping that Tessa would interrupt her tirade and speak with her. But Tessa just loudly moved her ice pack and continued to ignore her.

 

 

The bad news text was not sitting well with Scott. “What the hell does ‘kinda, sorta’ mean?!” As much as he was cool and relaxed with Tessa over text, he was a wreck at the rink. “She wants me to come over to her place now, and she didn’t come to practice. Do you think she’s ending things?” He kept replaying the exchange with additional questions out loud as he skated the routine with Kaitlyn. “What if she’s pissed that I didn’t go out and get condoms last night? What if she’s upset about the tour?” Of course, Kaitlyn did not respond during all of this, but she was listening and her eyes were reacting with each new piece of information or inquiry. “Do you think I should try to have a relationship talk with her tonight? Do you think that will scare her away?” They were moving into their final pose when he was struck with another question, “Why…”

“Holy fucking hell, Moir!” Kaitlyn’s outburst almost caused him to drop her for the first time in their twenty year partnership. “Will you just shut the hell up?! Pull yourself together!” Kaitlyn’s face was red, “Please, please tell me I did not sound THIS pathetic when I started with some new guy. Thank God I have Andrew and I don’t have to go through this shit anymore.” Unwrapping her scarf, she shook her head as he tried to respond to her outburst. “That’s it…practice is over! You’re going to drive me insane if you don’t go confront her and ask HER all these asinine questions.”

Watching Kaitlyn skate off the ice, Scott shouted out to her, “You didn’t answer any of my questions!” Without looking at him, she elegantly lifted her middle finger behind her and exited the ice. Laughing, he quickly followed her towards the locker rooms. He could always trust Kaitlyn to slap him back to reality and to shoot straight. Heading over to his locker, he was surprised to see Andrew and Chiddy chatting on one of the benches. Any other day, he would’ve stuck around and joined the conversation, but right now he could only think of Tessa. Opening his locker released an avalanche of condoms and a chorus of laughter erupted throughout the locker room. He reached down to pick up a handful of packets and chucked them at his friends.

“Awwww man! I missed it!” Kaitlyn came running into the locker room, her face a portrait of amused disappointment. She put her arm around Andrew before looking up at Scott, “We all chipped in to make sure you didn’t have a repeat of last night… most expensive, best prank ever!”

Scott could be angry at their intrusion into his love life. He could be hurt by their humor at his expense. However, he laughed and grabbed another handful of condoms. They all flinched and shrieked as they braced for his throw, but everyone giggled as he placed them inside his bag. “Thanks… now I don’t have to make a stop at the store.” 

Leaving the rink, Scott was torn between his options. First, was the selfish, sex-starved option to race to her place and fuck her against her door… open, closed, in front of Mrs. Rosenhan, he didn’t really care at this point. Second option was slightly more reasonable, he would go home and shower first. Third option, did he really need a third option at this point? Sniffing his underarm as he got behind the wheel of his car ultimately made the decision easy for Scott… definitely shower before heading to Tessa’s apartment.

 

 

Tessa was currently at a loss. Getting ready for a much delayed “sex date” when she couldn’t physically have sex wasn’t really an experience that was on her bucket list. In a lot of ways, it wasn’t any different than preparing for a first date with some random guy, except this wasn’t a first date… they were both practically naked the night before, and she couldn’t remember ever wanting sex so badly.

Lying on the couch and thinking about the previously interrupted encounters with Scott she realized the discomfort was mostly gone… maybe Olga was just a lying sadist? What’s the worst that could happen if they had sex tonight? A few google searches and a trip to the bathroom, confirmed Olga’s post-wax rules in a blaze of burning glory. 

How was she going to explain this to Scott?

 

 

For the first time in his life, Scott was incredibly early. Even after showering and stopping for dinner supplies, he was still knocking on her door nearly two hours earlier than they had originally planned. That was two additional hours he could laugh with her… two additional hours he could kiss her… two additional hours he could hold her… two additional hours he could… he tried to clear his head when he heard the doorknob begin to click.

The lights were bright behind her, and she was half hiding behind the open door - this made his earlier options of immediate semi-public fucking difficult to achieve. He also had his hands full with fresh flowers and grocery bags (and he wasn’t a barbarian) that he needed to deposit in the kitchen. Once his hands were free, he reached out to pull her into an embrace. She gladly melted into his arms and pressed against his chest. Suddenly desperate to taste her, his hand grasped the back of her head to bring her lips to his. 

“I CAN’T HAVE SEX TONIGHT!” She wailed into his mouth. 

Confused. Very confused, and alarmed, Tessa thought were the best way to describe Scott’s reaction. “Okay.” His expression instantly turned to reassurance, and he gave her waist a gentle squeeze before reaching for her hand and placing distance between them. “I’m just happy to see you as much as I can before I have to leave.” Her expression must have been skeptical and suspicious, because Scott looked mortified. “Did you think… I would never… I’m so sorry if I made you uncomfortable or think that I…”

He was making this way more difficult for her. Why did he have to be such a fucking nice guy? “No! I know! Look, I really, really wanted this to happen. I just can’t.”

He nodded understandingly, and continued to look deep into her eyes just like he learned in therapy. “We’re moving pretty fast, and I’m about to leave for two months. We haven’t even talked about anything. I understand, and I know we need to talk about me leaving.” He squeezed her hand. “Tessa, I get it.”

“No. No, you don’t.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes, she could see the hurt across his face. 

Frustrated and offended were now the best ways she could’ve described his expression. “I hate to say this, because I don’t know your dating history, but if you automatically think the worst of me, all I can say is you’ve dated beneath you.” His jaw was clenched and his arms were crossed in front of his chest. “Tess, I’m not an asshole to women.” Damn, he had never looked hotter… considering his intense stare and pissed off body language, Tessa realized he was a little too on-the-nose with his assessment of her past shitty boyfriends (another conversation for another time and place).

“Scott… believe me, I want us to have sex right here, right now… but I can’t.” She was reaching out to him, and his face was softening back into confusion. “I… this is so embarrassing…”

“Ohhhh…” Scott’s entire demeanor quickly shifted to gentle understanding. He closed the distance between them, and softly pulled her into a warm hug. His hands rubbed circles across her back, and he kissed her temple before murmuring into her ear. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can do for you?”

She just shook her head against his chest. It was so good to be back in his arms. She could block out everything else in her life, in the world while she listened to his heartbeat and felt the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek. She was able to smell the fresh clean scent of his soap, and she just felt unbelievably lucky that he was… wait. “Scott? Why do you think I need anything?”

He pulled his head back to look down at her. His eyebrows were up in surprise. “Your period… look, I’ve had a female partner for twenty years. I get it, and like I said, I’m not an asshole. I don’t get freaked out by it.” He shrugged, “I can rub your back, get you a heating pad, I already brought some chocolate. Whatever you need, babe.” He kissed her cheek again.

Not correcting Scott’s assumption would definitely be the easiest way out of this situation, but she wanted him to know that she wanted tonight just as desperately and as much as he did. She couldn’t even be upset with him for jumping to the menstruation conclusion, because he was so fucking considerate about it.

“Scott, you are probably the most perfect man, in fact, I don’t really believe that you’re real right now.” She gave him a hard peck on the lips just to make sure he wasn't a figment of her sexually frustrated imagination. “I’m not on my period.” He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to find the right words before she continued. “Sally and I had the bright idea for pedicures.” She wiggled her freshly painted toes as evidence. “Sally also suggested that I get a bikini wax to prepare for tonight.” Sally was rolling right under the fucking bus. “But there was some miscommunication, and Olga thought I wanted the Hollywood.”

Scott was trying to follow the chain of events, but he didn’t know who the hell Olga was. He knew about bikini waxing because of the female skaters and their costumes, but he didn’t know what the hell a Hollywood was either. He would ask, but she had turned about fifty shades of red in the span of a few seconds he was afraid to risk an explanation… he’d just google it later. In the meantime, he can nod and be sympathetic for whatever trauma Olga put her body through this morning. 

She kissed him again with more intensity, “I just want you to know, that I want all the sex just as much, if not more, than you do.”

Scott was all eyebrows and smiles, “Duly noted.” He lead her over to the bar stool and patted the seat, “Are you okay to sit here or is the living room better?” His eyes were full of concern and he watched her carefully as she lifted up to the stool.

The embarrassed flush was lingering on her cheeks, but she nodded that she could manage to sit at the island. “This is so humiliating.”

He chuckled, “We’ve had a lot of those moments, eh?” Leaning for a quick kiss, he turned his attention to unloading the bags he had deposited earlier. “I’d ask you to help, but I think you’ve earned an evening of watching and relaxing.” He pulled out the ingredients for dinner, and she was surprised that he even brought his own measuring cup. “Why don’t you torture me with your music and I'll make us something to eat?”

“Any requests?” Scrolling through her song lists, she was uncertain if she should go with something sweet and romantic or something they could sing along with. 

“Uh, our song, duh.” Scott looked at her with sarcastic eyebrows and was already singing the chorus before she could hit play.

If anyone was to ask her the official moment she knew she was totally, definitely, absolutely, completely in love with Scott Moir, this would be it… five days in, cleaning her disgustingly filthy microwave and singing every damn word to Copacabana. 

 

 

A few hours later, they were snuggled on the couch giggling through another episode of The Office. Each of them thinking they’d almost be willing to forfeit sex for the next fifty years if it meant they were able to spend each evening like tonight.

Scott was running his fingers through her hair, and she was completely relaxed when he cleared his throat. “So… we need to have that conversation.” This was the dreaded moment she knew was coming. He was leaving for two months, not much of a conversation as far as she could tell.

“I’m leaving for the tour tomorrow.” Her head shot up to look at him. Tomorrow?! She could’ve sworn she had more time with him. “We had to move up our tickets because of an extra rehearsal for the group numbers.” She buried her face back into his chest, and his hand resumed it’s position in her hair. “I’m sorry.”

He took another deep sigh. “We haven’t made any public announcements, but we are signing on for a couple of other tours.” She could feel his heart rate increasing beneath her forehead, and she could no longer remember to breathe. “Two months is really four.” His voice was unsteady, and she could feel his reluctance to drop this bombshell. “I’ll be back for a couple of days here and there, but it could be September before we see each other again.”

She was so still in his arms, Scott would never have known she was crying if it weren’t for the warm dampness spreading across his chest. He tightened his arms around her, but felt her stiffen in his embrace. He took another deep breath before continuing. “It isn’t fair to ask you to wait for me after such a small time.” He paused, but her silence continued. “I really want to see you whenever and in whatever capacity you’re willing.” He finally stopped talking to allow her time to process and to respond, but she remained silent.

She was angry. She was sad. She felt betrayed that he didn’t tell her of the extended tours earlier. She wanted him to not be so damn selfless and worried for her, but tell her that he loved her and wanted her to wait for him. “That’s not good enough, Scott.” She finally looked up from his chest, her eyes were pleading with him to take a stand.

“What do you want? What do you expect? I can’t do undefined and wishy washy for the next four months.” Her voice came across clear and strong, and she was proud of herself for not hiding behind vague statements.

“I want you, Tess.” He sucked his breath and ran his hands through his hair before sitting up with her. “What do I expect? I can’t expect anything of you, because I’d be asking you to do something unreasonable and crazy.” His eyes were imploring her to understand.

“Ask me. Let me decide what’s crazy and unreasonable.” 

“The smart thing for us to do is put a pin in this, and jump back in if you’re ready in September.” His entire body delated. “Tessa, I’ve seen what touring does to relationships. It’s hard, and it isn’t fair for you…”

“I hate to say this, because I don’t know what kind of relationships you’ve been in the past, but if you automatically think the worst of me, think I can’t handle you being away…” she had a small grin on her face as she brought his words back to him, “Well, I think you’ve dated beneath you. I’m not an asshole.” 

Scott’s facial expressions were a window to his thinking. She could see how each of her words affected him, and she could watch him run through all of the risks and rewards of each possible scenario. Finally, his face exploded into a huge smile that radiated through the crinkles of his eyes, and he nodded. “Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't feeling the humor with this chapter like the others... This chapter is really setting the stage for going on tour, and when he returns. I can't be too funny when they are about to separate for four months. 
> 
> I have a feeling this story will be winding down soon, and I'll be finishing Drunk History soon before starting on a new idea.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting! I swear I laugh so hard at everyone's comments, and it is so encouraging.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They survive the first six weeks of tour (and Scott discovers Hollywood).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is so short, but I probably won't be able to update until next week and I wanted to put out what I had so far. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading and commenting!

The flight was delayed again for another hour. Under normal circumstances, Scott would be fine with getting another beer in the airport bar or playing cards with his buddies. However, today that extra hour delay was another hour he could’ve spent with Tess. This was an unnecessary and very inconvenient waste of his precious time with her. He slammed his hand down on the bar top in frustration, and he meekly apologized to the other startled patrons around him. He was in the same city, but he might as well already be in Japan as futile any attempt to see her would be.

He scrolled through the slew of pictures they took the night before in her kitchen and living room. He lingered on his second favorite wishing he was with her now. Sighing deeply, he ordered another beer.

Standing in line to board the plane, Scott suddenly remembered the Hollywood he meant to google earlier. Looking at the line of skaters in front of him, he shrugged that this would be a good way to fill the few minutes before it was his turn to board the plane. Disregarding all the suggestions for California, he added waxing to his search and accidentally tapped the image tab. “Fuck me,” he groaned loud enough for Kaitlyn and Andrew to turn back to him and for Chiddy to look over his shoulder in curiosity. 

“Scott… we’re in public.” Chiddy chided him in disdain. 

Andrew and Kaitlyn peered at his phone, still frozen in disbelief. “Scott’s looking at porn!” Kaitlyn began to sing-song back at him, reminding him of the time she caught him watching one of Fedor’s old DVDs back when he was 16.

Ignoring her porn claim, Scott asked her in an accusatory tone, “Did you know about Hollywoods?!” He looked at the couple in shock as Kaitlyn and Andrew nodded their approval and gave each other a high five. “It’s like all gone… like everything?” Was this something he was supposed to like or wanted her to do regularly? He didn’t really think he should have a say in her body hair, but he was suddenly reminded that he still hadn’t seen her before or after. 

“Awww… take a sad selfie and send it to her!” Kaitlyn was laughing at his loss, and Andrew offered to take the picture for a better angle. 

Scott brushed them both away, but decided that they should all take a picture for them to post online. He had no interest in maintaining his own social media, but he knew how important it was for him to be seen and tagged in other people’s posts (especially Kaitlyn’s). Huge smiles for the group photo, Kaitlyn was busy crafting the perfect hashtag and caption for her different accounts. While everyone was distracted, Scott took the quick sad selfie with pouting lip and puppy-dog eyes. This one was only for Tessa. 

Scott: I just looked up Hollywood. Ouch!  
Tessa: You didn’t even get to appreciate it.  
Scott: *sad selfie  
Tessa: *crying laughing emoji  
Scott: I was really hoping you were reciprocating with a picture  
Scott: Kidding! *kissy face  
Scott: I’m boarding… let you know when we land  
Tessa: maybe tonight *winky emoji  
Tessa: Be safe!

 

It was clear that Scott was no longer able to communicate, and she ran a range of emotions in about ten seconds as her eyes devoured the text exchange. Ecstatic flirtation followed by a depressing low as she realized that their relationship would revolve around flirty texts, selfies, and sexting for the next four months. Throwing her head back against her couch, she couldn’t help feeling like she regressed back to a teenager.

The past week had been a whirlwind Hallmark-movie-worthy romance, and she was relieved that school would be able to distract her for the first six weeks of the tour. Before she dived back into lesson plans and grading, she retrieved her passport from her desk and double-checked to make sure it was still up-to-date. Pulling up the tour schedule and her personal calendar, Tessa began plotting her first trip to Japan.

 

 

They made an agreement the first week of tour, that neither had to check in with the other for daily activities or fun outings with friends. That kind of controlling manipulation was absurd, and they trusted each other’s judgement. That lasted about a week, before Tessa was inundated by people tagging her in posts or private messaging her copies of pictures and videos of Scott drinking in bars, Scott dancing with attractive women, Scott kissing women on the cheek, and all the online speculations about some girl who worked on the tour. She knew she could trust him, but she sure didn’t trust these other women. 

Scott could understand her doubts, because Tessa had a much stronger social media presence than he did. He didn’t realize just how many platonic (really?) male friends Tessa had. She was with Charles for lunch, dinner with Josh, and then making faces during a faculty meeting with Ryan. Scrolling through her different account, there was absolutely no evidence that he and Tessa were even together except for the fact that they followed one another (whatever significance that could mean).

“How was the dance? Looked like you and Chad were having fun.” Fuck… he could hear the tension and neediness in his voice, and he despised himself. He was the first to break, and to mention any of their documented activities. He knew she had plenty of ammunition, and he braced himself for her shot.

“We had a great time chaperoning PROM, but probably not as much fun as you had with the Maple Leafs fan.” Fuck… she could hear the jealous and pathetic tone in her voice, and she hated herself for it. She closed her eyes, bracing for the return fire.

They were both silent for a minute, and Tessa was beginning to think he hung up until she heard his sigh. “Tess… I’m sorry.” All of the edge was out of his voice, and she could almost pretend he was across town instead of the world. “Not just for what I said and didn’t say just a second ago, but those pictures… nothing happened.”

She sighed, too. “I know… I know, but it still hurt.” This was the absolute last thing he would ever want to intentionally do to anyone, much less the girl he was in love with and waiting for him back home. 

“Tess,” He said her name as if he was taking a vow, and he was in a way. “You’re right, and I can’t believe I put you in a position to have to defend me or pretend it didn’t bother you. I promise, you won’t ever have another picture like that to worry about. I won’t let myself get into another situation that will hurt you, disrespect you, or cause you any doubt.” He wanted to declare his love for her, but what kind of asshole says that over the phone thousands of miles away after only a couple of weeks?

“Thank you, but you know those guys are just coworkers right?” Her voice was quiet, but strong. She appreciated his candor, but her selfies with fellow teachers weren’t even in the same boat. “I’ve been independent for a long time, Scott. I’m not going to apologize for socializing with my friends.” Taking a deep breath, she could still think rationally about their situation. “But I can make sure that I don’t put myself in any situations that would hurt you or cause you any doubt too.”

More silence, and then she heard a small chuckle from Scott’s end. “Deal.”

 

 

Tessa’s Diary: June 23, 2018

Officially off for the summer! Six weeks into the tour, and I think we finally have this long distance thing figured out.

Nervous? Excited? Afraid? I’m flying out tomorrow to surprise Scott in Japan. Kaitlyn (seriously love her!) helped me arrange the flight for the perfect portion of their schedule… They will be in the same city for an entire week with 4 off days and 3 days of performances, so even those days I’ll be able to see him. It’ll almost be like May again… only with a much different background. 

 

 

Returning her diary to the drawer in her nightstand, Tessa was looking around for any last minute things to pack. She was heading out to the airport in less than an hour, and she was a ball of nervous energy. She decided that Kaitlyn would be the perfect accomplice for this adventure, and she really enjoyed getting to know her over the past six weeks of texting and secret phone calls. She grabbed her phone and took a quick picture of her luggage to send Kaitlyn a message that she was on her way. 

 

“Patrick fucking Chan! What do you mean, ‘He’s gone!’?” Kaitlyn was smaller than him, and had the reputation of being one of the nicest females in the sport, but Chiddy knew that she was secretly terrifying. “You better tell me he went out for sushi or something in a one block radius, or so help me, you will wish all I had were water balloons to throw at you!” Her voice was booming through the hotel lobby, and Chiddy shrunk back from her.

“He’s on the way to the airport. He wanted to surprise Tessa since we had a few days off.” He tried to spit the words out as quickly as he could to avoid any other outbursts, but this only enraged her more.

“Noooooooo! Who? What? When? Did you put him up to this? Did you give him this great idea?” Her eyes were fire, and she had grabbed his collar as she emphasized each question.

Chiddy just nodded his head, “Yeah… Sally said she didn’t have any plans, she was just ‘hanging out’ for the next couple of weeks before she went to the lake with her parents.” He was holding his hands up in a defensive position from her. “He’s been planning this for weeks.” 

“Argh! Call him. Call him right now. Tell him this is a horrible, no good, very bad, awful idea, and to get his ass back to the hotel now!” Chiddy looked down at the tiny demented dancer in front of him… shit she ripped his shirt.

Swallowing loudly, Chiddy straightened his back and puffed his chest out. “Just let him go get laid, Kaitlyn. He misses her.” 

Inhaling loudly and deeply through her nose, Kaitlyn spat, “She’s coming HERE you, dickass!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... I went there... the whole both planning the same thing. Notice that Tessa learned NOT to involve Chiddy and Sally, but Scott still has to learn his lesson.
> 
> And yeah, I have no idea school schedules and prom stuff in Canada. So... if the calendar is wrong, sorry!


	13. Crying and Laughing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little more miscommunication, but Sally saves the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who stuck with the story! I was torn about continuing and ending, and then I was torn with different avenues I could have taken it. Ultimately, this feels like the right ending and it gets super cheesy and fluffy... hope it doesn't disappoint!

The plane finally came to a halt, and the captain's voice welcomed the passengers to their final destination. People began scrambling for their seatbelts and carryon luggage as they filled the aisles to exit the plane. Thirty minutes earlier Tessa would have clawed all of these businessmen and tourists out of her way to reach Scott. Now? What’s the fucking hurry?

Her phone exploded into a fury of activity as soon as she turned it back on from airplane mode. She had dozens of missed messages and phone calls from everyone it seemed except for Scott. Which made sense… considering he was probably still on a plane headed for Canada. 

The aisle was finally thinning, and it was time for her to grab her bag. The frustrated tears were slowly falling across her cheek, but she was more concerned with finding a quiet place to decompress and wrap her head around the change of events. 

She decided she should just follow the instructions of Kaitlyn’s last voice message. “Tessa we are almost to the airport. Make your way through security and head to the nearest bar. Buy a drink, and we will join you as soon as we can. Don’t worry, it’ll all be fine!” Easy for Kaitlyn to think that, but she didn’t just fly across the world to NOT see her boyfriend. Why did she think it was a good idea to surprise him, and why did he have to be such a romantic that he thought it was a good idea too?

Settling in at the nearest bar, she ordered a glass of wine. She had barely taken a sip when the seat next to her was filled, and she could feel a masculine leg brush hers. For a split second, she hoped it was Scott, but it was just some sleazy businessman from her flight. “You’re too beautiful to cry… let me buy you a drink.” He was oblivious to the fact that she already had a drink, and she lifted it for him to see that his advances were unnecessary. She turned away from him, and ignored his next attempt at a conversation. She wasn’t disappointed when she heard him shuffle away.

Unfortunately, the seat remained vacant for less than ten seconds. “I’m so glad to see a friendly face!” The voice was overly familiar and the man must be blind, because her expression was anything but friendly or approachable. “Do you need a tour guide for the city?” Tessa cut her eyes across to the obviously American businessman, and normally she wouldn’t be so rude, but she normally wasn’t in a foreign city waiting for her boyfriend’s skating partner to retrieve her from the airport.

Tessa felt like she was involved in some sort of comical musical chairs television show. It was as if every single male in the airport was vying for her attention. For fuck’s sake, did they make a bet to see who would be the lucky guy to win a conversation? She chugged the remaining wine and motioned for another glass.

She took a quick sad face selfie, and sent it to Scott. She was sure he was also going to be inundated with messages as soon as he lands. Sipping her wine, she felt a hand on the back of her chair. Her spine stiffened instinctively and she steeled herself in preparation of the inevitable pickup line. “Sapporo,” the voice was above her and directed to the bartender, but she immediately looked up. “No one should drink alone.”

 

He knew he could never admit to her that he watched her drink an entire glass of wine before he approached her. He knew he couldn’t admit that he watched nearly a dozen douche-bag businessmen (it took all his self control not to punch each of them) approach her before he went to her at the bar. He didn’t really have a good explanation, other than he couldn’t stop staring. It had been weeks since he had seen her (and he nearly missed this opportunity), but he was convinced she looked even more stunning after flying for thirteen hours and crying in an airport bar than when he left her back home in Canada.

He knew he only had a few minutes before Kaitlyn and company arrived to take them back to the hotel, and he only had a few seconds before another suit moved in on her. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was as he approached. “Sapporo,” (he had a favorite local beer in every country they toured) he motioned to the bartender with his right hand and placed his left on the back of Tessa’s chair, careful not to physically touch her. Damn, he forgot how green her eyes were. “No one should drink alone.” His right hand was on her cheek now, and he caught a glimpse of the shocked faces of the rejected businessmen on the other end of the bar as she jumped from her seat, wrapping her arms and legs around him as her lips met his.

 

She must have suffered a head injury. That’s the only possible explanation for what is currently occurring… this is a very vivid and realistic hallucination or she’s currently making out with a Scott Moir airport doppelgänger, because the real Scott Moir is on a plane to Canada. Opening her eyes, she is met with familiar hazel eyes and Scott’s grin against her lips. This is definitely not a hallucination, and this is definitely her Scott. She soaks in the small, noticeable changes like his hair (definitely longer, better to tug him closer) and facial hair (hopefully, this is temporary). She reminisces in the familiarity of the unchanged eyebrows, jawline, and his hands. She wants to demand explanations for the million questions she has, but all of that pales in comparison to Scott’s hands cupping her ass and his tongue colliding with hers. 

“Ahem… AHEM!” They pull away from each other to find a bar full of patrons watching (some filming with their phones) their intimate reunion, and the entrance of half the skaters from the tour. Kaitlyn is grinning at both of them, "Why don't we get you two back to the hotel?" 

 

 

Tessa’s Diary: May 6, 2019

Favorite week of the year is upon us again! I don’t see how this year’s Teacher Appreciation Week can top 2018… maybe Ryan Reynolds can stop by this time?

Things to be thankful for:

JEANS! Wearing jeans to work never gets old. I’d work seven days a week and give up summers for jeans everyday… okay maybe not summers, and maybe six days a week, but I love wearing jeans to work. Now, if I could only talk them into leggings or athletic pants…

FOOD! Donuts today, waffles tomorrow, omelettes on Wednesday… it is going to be a gustatory smorgasbord, and I’m bringing plastic togo containers.

ENTERTAINMENT! Patrick Chan isn’t as exciting as Scott, but it beats listening to the motivational speaker.

 

“Ms. Virtue! I thought you were one of the students!”

Every. Fucking. Year. Scratch that… every Friday she wears jeans Dr. Callahan says the same fucking thing. Securing a bright and dazzling smile, Tessa turned to her principal. “Still my favorite administrator!” She forced the smile for the remaining five minutes of small talk it took for them to reach the teacher workroom. She can smell the aroma of fresh brewed coffee and the sugary sweetness of warm donuts before she opens the door. 

Her hand rests for a moment on the handle, and her mind races back to a year ago. The memory of her meet-cute with Scott Moir, the whirlwind week of romance, and the months of seemingly endless tours. She shook the thoughts from her head, and once again her brilliant smile was in place as she entered the workroom.

Opening the door slowly, Tessa was surprised to see Patrick already on campus and surrounded by starstruck teachers. She made eye contact, and he gave her a wave and a grateful smile of recognition. She nodded over to the coffee and food, and chatted with teachers she saw so infrequently she forgot she worked with them. 

She turned to claim her favorite table, but she remembered Sally’s late night text that she would be out today. Looking over her shoulder at Patrick, she nodded her head and mouthed “good luck!” before heading out the door. He was sending her SOS signals with his eyes, but considering their history she didn’t feel bad at all leaving him with the math and science teachers as she headed back to her room.

The thrill of coffee and donuts soon faded as students poured into her classroom following the warning bell. Administrative bullshit out of the way, she got everyone into position for the last review before their AP test. She was answering a question about color vision for one group, when she felt a seismic shift in the energy of the room. The other groups began to buzz and suddenly thirty students could barely sit and were excitedly looking around the room. This could only mean one thing.

“You’re late… again.” Tessa said before turning to her classroom door. She crossed her arms in front of her, and attempted to greet Scott with her best “teacher” scowl of disapproval. He rolled his eyes, and gave her a sheepish grin as he made his way towards her. “You know what that means?”

“MI-CRO-WAVE! MI-CRO-WAVE!” Thirty high school students began chanting the familiar punishment for chronic tardies to her class.

Scott looked at them all with mock anger and betrayal. “And to think, I brought you all donuts!” He offered the four dozen donuts up as tribute, but the kids continued to chant against him. “I’ll remember this… I’m taking these donuts next door.” He started to turn to leave, but the kids’ laughter and pleas to return made him stop before reaching the door. “That’s the welcome I was expecting.”

He gave the donuts to one of Tessa’s students and moved towards her. “Sorry, babe, donuts took way longer than I thought.” He caught himself before leaning in to kiss her cheek, and waved out to the eager audience of teenagers. 

“Don’t think that gets you out of microwave duty.” Her eyes were laughing as he made a look of disgust, and headed towards the microwave situated in the back of the classroom. 

“Is this really how you want me to spend my few valuable minutes here?” He looked up to the class with hopeful eyes, but dropped his head in defeat at the resounding screams to clean the microwave. “No videos, that means you, Thomas!” Scott pointed to a student in the back of the room holding up his phone. “I don’t want me puking going viral.”

 

 

Everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong after lunch. The copier was jammed and then out of toner. The catered lunch was late arriving to campus, and she had to miss it all together because of her class schedule. The fire alarm malfunctioned and went off at least a dozen times during the last class period resulting in a massive headache. Dr. Callahan called an impromptu faculty meeting, and now she was stuck in traffic and over an hour late getting to her apartment. This meant that she would be late meeting Scott for dinner tonight, and after today’s microwave incident, she knew she would never hear the end of it.

After not moving for twenty minutes in traffic, Tessa felt she was going to have to officially call it for the evening’s festivities. Scott picked up on the second ring, “There is no way I’m going to make it tonight.” After the afternoon she’d had, she wasn’t wasting time with pleasantries. “Can we do dinner tomorrow night? I just want to take a hot bath, and curl up on the couch right now.”

He was quiet for longer than she anticipated, and it sounded like there was some shuffling going on his end. “Tess…” He definitely sounded frazzled and nervous. “But tonight…” he had another pause, and she could swear he was talking to someone else, was he already at the restaurant? “It’s our anniversary, T.” His voice was lowered in disappointment.

“Anniversary?” How could she miss an anniversary?! Her mind was racing with May 6, but she was coming up with nothing of significance. Wait… they hadn’t even met on May 6.

Scott’s voice was even lower and she could picture the blush creeping across his cheeks. “The day we met… the start of Teacher Appreciation Week, I can’t ever forget it because you talked about this week for the past month.” The last part of his explanation ended in a chuckle, and her heart melted for this man.

“Oh, babe…” He was such a romantic idiot, and now she understood why he insisted on Foxy for dinner tonight and insisted on stopping by the school this morning. “I didn’t even think about it.” She heard his sharp intake of breath, and knew she needed to clear up the misunderstanding quick before his feelings were crushed. “Scott, we met on May 7th not the 6th… I just didn’t think anything about today because I was planning on something special for tomorrow.” 

“Fuck…” she could barely hear Scott whisper into the phone, but she could definitely hear the frustration in his tone. “Let me call you back.” He abruptly ended the call before she had a chance to respond, and all she could do was close her eyes and pray the traffic would clear.

 

 

Scott turned to Sally, “Abort.” 

“Is a woman’s right to choose? What are you talking about, Scott?” Sally was genuinely confused and amused at watching Scott freak out the entire day, but “abort” was not in the game plan.

“I have the wrong fucking date!” His hands were flailing in front of her face, and he kicked the side of the bar. “I can’t believe I didn’t check the date.” 

“Scott…” Sally motioned to the empty restaurant. “What do you mean you ‘have the wrong date’?” She really shouldn’t have been surprised by this… it was Scott and Tessa after all, and they’ve been a mess literally since the day they met, but she took a personal day for this shit.

“She said we met on the 7th NOT the 6th, and she just wants to go home.” His hands wiped down the front of his face until he flung them in the air in resignation. “We have to switch this to tomorrow.”

Her eyes were wide, and her voice was rising. “This isn’t something you just switch around, you know!” Once again she motioned to the empty restaurant. “It would be easier for us to switch around those twins in the Parent Trap than to close Foxy down again for a second consecutive night.” She marched closer to Scott, and gave him a light slap across his cheek. “Listen to me, you need to call her back and tell her to get her ass to the restaurant. This isn’t some leftover dinner you can just warm up tomorrow.” Looking over at Scott, she knew she was going to have to take matters into her own hands. “Go sit… I’ll call her first."

 

 

“Tessa! How was the start of Teacher Appreciation Week without me?!” Sally tried not to sound too bright and casual, but she could feel the artificial peppiness in her voice. Tessa’s voice was rising to canine whistle levels as she gave Sally a blow-by-blow of a pretty horrible afternoon. Damn, no wonder she had no interest in going to dinner. She finally interrupted her complaints, “Hey, at least you get a nice romantic dinner with your boyfriend at your favorite restaurant! That’s got to make the day better, right?”

Tessa would’ve been suspicious of Sally’s overly bright demeanor, but she had one of the worst Mondays in a long time. “I’m trying to get him to reschedule for tomorrow. He thought today was our anniversary.” 

“Well… I think he has a point.” Sally couldn’t believe she was defending Scott’s inability to look at a fucking calendar. 

“What?” Since when did Sally ever take Scott’s side? She enjoys roasting him on a regular basis… keeping him “humble.”

“You met on the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week… maybe you should think of your anniversary like Thanksgiving - same time every year, but a slightly different date. It’s weird. It’s cool. It’s totally fucked up like the two of you.”

There’s the Sally she knew and loved. “You’re ridiculous,” Tessa was laughing and her previously awful mood was a little better with her best friend’s perspective.

“Is it the worst thing in the world that your boyfriend wants to celebrate the day he met you a day early?” She looked over at Scott and mouthed, “YOU OWE ME HUGE!” She took a deep breath before continuing with Tessa, “Forget changing. Just go meet him at the restaurant. I’ll pick you up tomorrow, and you can tell me all about it.”

“Ugh… fine, okay.” Tessa sighed into the phone and then giggled. “I really am lucky… for BOTH of you. Talk to you tomorrow.”

Ending the call with Sally, Tessa quickly called Scott but it went straight to voice mail. “Hey, I’m sorry for earlier. I’ll come straight there. Hopefully, the traffic will clear and I’ll be there in fifteen. See you soon.”

 

 

Pulling up to Foxy, Tessa was surprised by the lack of people. It IS a Monday night, but she’s never seen so few people there or a parking space so close to the restaurant. Walking inside, she’s slightly alarmed. Were they closed for some reason? Where is Scott? Didn’t he say he was already here? Looking around the empty lobby area, Tessa saw a hostess approach her with a broad smile. “Miss Virtue? Right this way.” (She knows her name? They come here WAY too often.) The hostess didn’t grab menus, but she motioned for Tessa to follow her around the curve of the wall to enter the dining area.

Rounding the corner, Tessa’s breath caught in her throat. She didn’t even need to see Scott or hear him say the words, she knew he was proposing. Her eyes scanned the room, and she couldn’t believe the attention to so many details that were filled into the room.

First, the restaurant could pass for a flower shop, with thousands of her favorite flowers in a variety of pale shades in every direction. This was directly related to a conversation she had years ago with Sally as they had a Gilmore Girls marathon one weekend. Sally had ridiculed a thousand yellow daisies, but Tessa had defended the romantic choice except she was vehemently opposed to yellow and daisies. “Tulips, peonies, and hydrangeas in shades of pale pink, white, and blue.” Sally had faithfully instructed Scott in recreating this scene.

Second, there was an obscene amount of chocolate on the table in front of her. This wasn’t just any chocolate, but the chocolate and pastries from the site of their real first date. How in the hell did he convince Foxy to allow him to bring in sandwiches, pastries, chocolate, and coffee from a rival restaurant? It was all there… he must have bought the entire display case and transported it here.

Third, probably the least romantic and least sexy song in the world was playing. The song that he jokingly and publicly claims as “their” song, even though she knows they both really claim “Sarah Smile.” (Please, please, please don’t let Scott want “Copacabana” to be the song for our first dance at the wedding.)

Hidden behind one of the arrangements, he had the ability to watch her take in the sight of the room and realize the significance of tonight. Any fears Scott had about her reaction were immediately abandoned as he watched her reactions as she moved further into the room. Crying and laughing, Tessa’s eyes finally locked with his, and it was Scott’s turn to catch his breath at the most beautiful sound and sight he had ever encountered.

He could feel the tears at the corner of his eyes, and he walked towards her. “You have bewitched me body and soul.” He didn’t get a chance to finish the well-rehearsed lines before she had launched towards him. 

There was a tidal wave of emotions that washed over Tessa. He was going to use the proposal from her favorite movie (which he loudly mocked), and she really didn’t need to hear anything more before whispering "yes" into his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to do a crazy smutty sexcapade after the airport, and I just couldn't do it. Apparently, I'm too immature to write smut without laughing or wanting to make it funny... so go read your favorite smutty fic and imagine that's what happens with those days off on tour :)


End file.
